Update: Judge grants $1 bond for Georgia woman who took drugs to induce abortion

UPDATE 3/24/2026: On Monday, a judge granted a bond of $1 for Alexia Moore, the woman charged with murder after admitting that she took the drugs misoprostol and oxycodone in an attempt to kill her baby. He also ordered $1,000 bonds for each of the two drug charges that Moore is facing. She posted bond and was released.

“I think that charge is extremely problematic,” Superior Court Judge Steven Blackerby said during the bond hearing, according to The New York Times. “That is going to be a hard charge to convict upon.”

It was also revealed that Coroner M. Wayne Peeples determined that Moore's baby died from "undetermined causes," and noted the oxycodone was found in the baby's blood. Peeples also determined that the baby girl was born between 22 and 24 weeks, and her death has not been ruled a homicide. Babies born as young as 21 weeks have survived when given proper medical care.

Despite the murder charge, it remains unclear if the state will prosecute Moore. According to ABC 4, District Attorney Keith Higgins of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit did not return phone or email messages. However, Higgins did not oppose the $1 bond, and he told the judge that police had not consulted with the DA's office before charging Moore. Before she could be put on trial, a grand jury would have to indict her.

Moore's attorneys have filed a motion for a speedy trial.

3/20/2026: A Georgia woman has been arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly took the drug misoprostol and prematurely gave birth to a baby girl in a local hospital; the baby survived for at least an hour after birth and then died.

Last week, Moore was arrested and is now facing charges of murder, possession of dangerous drugs, and possession of a schedule 2 controlled substance.

Key Takeaways:

• In December, 31-year-old Alexia Moore allegedly took misoprostol and oxycodone in an attempt to abort her child at around 20 weeks gestation.

• Moore was taken to the hospital after her friend found her in extreme pain and called 911. After Moore gave birth to a living premature baby girl, she attempted to leave the hospital, but staff called police.

• The police learned Moore had told her friend she did not want another baby and planned to take the drugs to kill her, with police reporting that Moore later told nurses, "I want her [the baby] to die."

• Preborn babies are protected from abortion in Georgia once their heartbeat is detectable, except in certain instances, and only physicians are legally allowed to carry out abortions under those exceptions.

• In Georgia, the law does not specify that women can be prosecuted for abortion; the case is unusual due to the fact that Moore's baby did not die in the womb but survived for anywhere from one to three hours after birth.

• Moore remains in jail without bond. She reportedly has two other children, ages nine and six.

The Details:

Alexia Moore, 31, is alleged to have taken 200mg of misoprostol (a drug that causes the uterus to contract, often used as the second drug in the abortion pill regimen) along with oxycodone, on December 29, 2025. The next morning, she was taken to the emergency room at a Southeast Georgia Health System hospital with severe abdominal pain.

EWTN reported that Moore obtained the misoprostol through Aid Access, which is a website that sells mail-order abortion drugs online without a doctor's supervision.

Born alive

There, she gave birth to a baby girl who was "premature and having major health issues," including respiratory problems, according to the Kingsland Police Department arrest report and Action News Jax.

Moore attempted to leave the hospital against medical advice.

Conflicting reports indicate that the baby girl survived after birth for anywhere from an hour to a few hours. An anonymous friend told Action News Jax that Moore told her afterwards that she had given birth to the baby at five and a half months.

Hospital staff contacted police to report a "suspicious circumstance involving a female patient." When they arrived, they spoke with Moore's friend, who told them that the night before, Moore told her she didn't want to have another baby and that she planned to "take oxycodone and start the process of taking the Misoprostol."

When the friend went to check in on Moore the next morning, she found her in her bathroom in severe pain. She called 911, and EMS workers brought Moore to the hospital.

Georgia woman charged with murder after taking abortion pills, giving birth in hospital

Misoprostol is the second drug in the abortion pill regimen, and is typically taken after mifepristone, which is used to deprive the baby of nutrients and oxygen. Taking misoprostol alone and later in pregnancy can lead to live births.

The Georgia Recorder noted remarks from Moore's mother, which seem especially jarring in this situation (emphasis added):

Moore, who is in Camden County jail awaiting arraignment, could not be reached for comment.

Her mother, Edith Moore, who is a local pastor, described her daughter as a patriot and excellent mother, adding that the situation has created fear and anxiety for Moore’s six-year-old and nine-year-old children, who don’t understand why their mother is in jail.

“As a mother, and me talking as a grandma, she’s an excellent mother. I believe her children are her life. She has been a good provider for her children,” Edith Moore said.

The Boston Herald painted a somewhat different picture:

The police investigator obtaining the warrant wrote that Moore told the nursing staff: “I know my infant is suffering, because I am the one who did the abortion. I want her to die.”

Zoom Out:

In 2022, the Georgia LIFE (Living Infants Fairness and Equality) Act, which protects preborn children from abortion after their heartbeat can be detected, typically at about six weeks, took effect. It allows exceptions for children conceived in rape or incest up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, or when the mother's life is in danger. It also states, "It shall be the policy of the State of Georgia to recognize unborn children as natural persons."

The law states that only a licensed physician can carry out an abortion and that after the first trimester, abortions must be carried out in a licensed hospital.

While the law is written to apply penalties for committing abortions to the physicians, it does not stipulate one way or the other if women are allowed to face penalties for carrying out their own abortions, especially after the first trimester.

However, Dana Sussman, Senior Vice President of the pro-abortion organization Pregnancy Justice, claimed to Action News Jax, "This is an unprecedented murder charge for an alleged abortion, even though no law in the state of Georgia permits such a charge.”

What makes this case unusual is that Moore's baby girl did not die in the womb; the baby died after birth from the intentional attempt to end her life.

As EWTN reported:

Georgia Life Alliance Executive Director Elizabeth Edmonds told EWTN News that the arrest involved “the application of laws that have existed for decades.”

“Ms. Moore is not being charged with crimes under Georgia’s LIFE Act,” Edmonds said. “This innocent baby girl was born alive and under Georgia law, her death is being investigated and prosecuted like any other.”

“Efforts to mischaracterize this case as an attack on women or as a consequence of pro-life laws are intentionally misleading and purposefully serve to create further fear and confusion,” Edmonds continued. “This is about the death of a child who was born alive and the application of laws that have existed for decades.”...

“The evidence available shows her death was the result of respiratory distress caused by illegally-obtained oxycodone (a schedule II drug) taken by her mother shortly before giving birth,” Edmonds said.

What's Next:

Moore is currently being held without bond in Camden County Jail. No court date has been announced at this time.