Mother is charged in stillbirth of a twin

In a case that could unleash a storm of debate about women's reproductive rights, as well as the rights of parents, the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office has charged a woman who allegedly refused a Caesarean section with first-degree murder after one of her twins was born dead.

Melissa Ann Rowland, 28, demonstrated "depraved indifference to human life" by failing to pursue immediate medical treatment, including a recommendation for a C-section, according to court documents filed in 3rd District Court.

Rowland is being held in jail on $250,000 bond. If convicted, she could face up to life in prison.

The other twin is in stable condition.

"It was her omissions that caused the death of the child," said Kent Morgan of the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office. "She was given three or four opportunities to get a C-section to save that baby. She continued to say no because she didn't want her cosmetic appearance to be disfigured."

Marguerite Driessen, an associate professor of law at Brigham Young University who has four children of her own and is pro-life, said she sees problems with a case such as this.

"My concern here is that even in Utah, where the mother has the right to make these choices, that someone other than the mother will be second-guessing these decisions," Driessen said.

"In order to bring this case, the government is making a decision to go back and re-evaluate her decisions and medical advice and decide after the fact whether there is a basis for a murder case or not," Driessen said.

For her part, Rowland, in a jailhouse interview with KSL Newsradio 1160, said she came to Utah from Florida in November to have the babies and place them for adoption because she and the birth father could not take care of the children. She denies she was advised to have a C-section with the twins and also denies she refused to have one to avoid a scar.

She said the twins were ultimately born by C-section. "I've never refused a C-section," Rowland said. "I've already had two prior C-sections. Why would I say something like that?"

Rowland said she has been in the Salt Lake County Jail for two months on child endangerment charges, which apparently stem from the same incident. The state court computer system shows a second-degree felony child endangerment charge lodged against a Melissa Ann Rowland dated Jan. 13, which is the same day cited in the murder charge.

Rowland said she has two other children who live with their grandparents in Virginia. She also said the surviving twin, a girl, has been adopted by a family Rowland knows. "She's safe and well taken care of."

Court documents state that Rowland saw a doctor at LDS Hospital on Jan. 2 who recommended an immediate Caesarean section because of fetal heart rate difficulties and a problematic ultrasound that showed the babies were not developing well, and because Rowland had very low amniotic fluid.

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