A mysterious white powder
The case first came to light in October 2009, when Los Angeles police officers received a phone call from Woodward’s girlfriend. The woman told detectives she had become very suspicious after Woodward allegedly rubbed a white powder on her. Soon after coming in contact with the powder, she had a miscarriage.
It appears that Woodward, aged 40, surreptitiously gave his girlfriend the early-term abortion drug known as misoprostol three times without her knowledge — once orally and twice via the vagina. The girlfriend, who remains unnamed, miscarried at 13 weeks in 2009.
Premeditated murder?
According to a forensic analysis of Woodward’s Internet search history, in August 2009,Woodward typed into internet search engines the following phrases: “ways men have forced abortions”, “drugs that induce miscariages (sic),” and “evil ways to terminate a pregnancy“. It has also been claimed that he also searched online for ways to obtain misoprostol without a prescription on the black market.
The case against Joshua Woodward
Joshua Woodward was an investor in Los Angeles and Miami restaurants including the popular Table 8. He has been charged with four counts of attempted murder. Woodward pleaded not guilty.
The attempted murder charges come nearly three years after Woodward was first arrested in 2009. But in October 2009, LAPD investigators chose not to formally present a case to prosecutors within 48 hours. However, officials said the charges come after new evidence emerged, which they were not at liberty to disclose.
Induced miscarriage or just a miscarriage of justice?
But Woodward’s attorney, Mark Werksman, said that evidence against his client is still insufficient. Werksman claims that police didn’t have a case against his client three years ago and the charges were an attempt to turn “an unfortunate natural miscarriage of a 13-week-old fetus into a ghoulish attempted murder case.”
“Nothing has changed in the last three years except the prosecution’s determination to blame Joshua Woodward for the miscarriage suffered by his girlfriend,” Werksman said. “Joshua had nothing to do with the loss of his girlfriend’s baby. And the evidence marshaled against him is so weak and speculative as to be nonexistent.”
To date, Woodward is being held on $4 million bail.
About misoprostol and RU-486
There are two commonly used drugs for abortion : RU486 (mifepristone), and Cytotec (misoprostol). Both are usually used in combination, but in many cases, a pregnant woman may only have access to one. Both are commonly referred to as the “abortion pill”.
The name “abortion pill” gives the mistaken impression that all you need to do for an abortion is to take a pill. It’s not that simple. RU486 or mifepristone can be used only within 7 weeks from the last menstrual period. To take it when the pregnancy is beyond 7 weeks will usually end up with the mother having complications and being hospitalised.
Please note tha RU-486 is not legally available in Singapore and the use of any drugs to induce a miscarriage is highly risky and dangerous.
Source: The LA Times
