By Brandon Stoker
Melissa Ann Rowland, previously accused of murdering one of her unborn twins, was sentenced Thursday to an 18-month probation and drug rehab.
Prosecutors charged Rowland with murder after she refused a doctor-recommended Caesarean section. The prosecutors in the case eventually dropped the murder charges in order to pursue child endangerment charges.
Salt Lake County prosecutor Robert Stott said the DA''s office felt good about the outcome of the case. He said there were two main things they wanted to accomplish in this case.
'First, we wanted to make sure that publicly she was held responsible for her criminal acts, and through her plea and through the conviction that occurred,' Stott said. 'Second, we felt it was important for her to receive some treatment for the underlying causes , which were the drug addiction and her mental health, and so the sentencing also accomplished that.'
The Rowland incident has produced widespread public reaction because of the nature of the charges brought against her. Prosecutors said her doctor repeatedly told her she needed a Caesarean section to save her babies'' lives. Reportedly, she refused it because she did not want a scar from the surgery. Prosecutors found Rowland used cocaine and consumed alcohol during her pregnancy.
Activists groups have been fervent about the case since the murder charges were filed against Rowland.
'There is no statute on the books in Utah to permit the prosecution of pregnant women for health problems, even if the health problem deals with a drug addiction,' Lynn Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, said to the Associated Press.
Margaret Plane, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, said the UCLA wished the outcome of the case would have flip-flopped, and that they were disappointed in the criminal system in association with Rowland''s case.
'ACLU''s perspective is that these kind of charges are actually inappropriate because it seems to kind of separate the woman''s right to make a medical decision from the fetus'' existence somehow,' Plane said. 'Those two are impossible to separate.'
Plane also said the charges brought against Rowland were unfair because of the situation.
'The ACLU''s position is that this was an inappropriate use of the criminal system because what she did was make an autonomous decision about her body,' Plane said. 'The fact that she was pregnant ... it''s not irrelevant, it''s just that you can''t separate the two.'
Rowland opted to take the drug rehab course in Indiana. The judge stated if Rowland did not enroll in the program, a warrant would be issued for her arrest.
According to the AP, Rowland''s attorney, Michael Sikora, has declined to discuss the case with the media.
Stott said he felt good about the verdict.
'We served the public interest and also the public''s interest in ... trying to make sure that this doesn''t happen again,' he said.