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Teen Mother Escapes Abortion, Charged with Crime

August 5, 2014 permalink

Teenager Breanna LaSean Ross had been forced by her family to abort a previous pregnancy. She decided to keep her 2013 pregnancy a secret so it could run to term. When the baby was born without medical assistance, the mother was impaired from the loss of two pints of blood. The groggy mom put the baby in a bag and passed out. She woke up with the baby in a hospital.

Do you think Ross is the hero in the story? Florida doesn't. Authorities have charged her with felony child neglect.

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Police: Brevard teen gives birth, hides baby under sink

A 19-year-old girl was arrested Saturday after Palm Bay police say she gave birth to a child in a bathroom, then placed the baby in a grocery bag and hid it underneath a sink.

Police found the child alive.

A police document shows Breanna LaSean Ross was 18 years old when she gave birth in January. She told police she hid her pregnancy because previously, her mother and the mother of her baby's father forced her into having an abortion. She thought they would make her do the same with this pregnancy.

She told police she woke up on Jan. 31 with stomach pains. After struggling to use the restroom, she gave birth to a baby girl. She cleaned up, put the baby under the sink and passed out.

Emergency personnel took her to Palm Bay Hospital due to excessive bleeding. A doctor told police Ross appeared to be in a "clear state of mind," but was overwhelmed about telling anyone she was pregnant.

The doctor told police she had lost about two pints of blood and could have had clouded judgement or a diminished capacity to make decisions.

Another doctor said the baby weighed 5 pounds, 13.3 ounces. There were concerns the baby's kidneys weren't working correctly, but the doctor was confident she would recover.

Police weren't sure if there was probable cause that Ross's actions rose to the level of a crime. They sent the paperwork to the State Attorney's Office to see if she should be arrested.

Court records show Ross was charged with one count of felony child neglect on Saturday, about six months after the birth.

Source: Florida Today

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