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Human Interest
They held her down and aborted her baby, and her life was forever changed
Lisa Bast
·Spotlight Articles
Abortion Pill·By Bridget Sielicki
Woman falsified information to get abortion pill, then left baby born alive to die
An Iowa woman has been arrested after she allegedly ordered abortion pills online using false information and then used those pills far later in pregnancy than the FDA's approved 10 weeks. Her baby was born alive but died after she wrapped him in a towel and placed him in a closet.
An Iowa woman reportedly delivered a baby 25-26 weeks gestation after taking the abortion pill.
The baby was breathing at birth, but she wrapped him in a towel and placed him in a closet. She did not call authorities until two days later.
She is being charged with child endangerment for depriving a child of necessary care and lying to obtain prescription drugs.
She is not facing charges related to the abortion.
Margaret Alaine Conant, 39, of Marion, Iowa, has been charged with child endangerment for depriving a child of necessary care and lying to obtain prescription drugs.
Authorities say Conant ordered the abortion pill online from Women on Web, falsifying her gestational age in order to receive the deadly drugs. She then used the drugs to procure an abortion.
As reported by CBS 2 Iowa, Conant's infant son, known as C.C., was born alive on December 29, 2025. She called authorities two days later to report an "unconscious newborn." She told investigators the baby had been born "barely breathing and making sounds for about a minute."
Instead of seeking medical help immediately, Conant wrapped the infant in a towel, placed him in a bag, and put him in a closet.
Investigators who arrived at the scene December 31 pronounced the child dead. An autopsy determined he was 25 or 26 weeks gestation. Conant's charges stem not from the abortion, but from the fact that she didn't seek proper medical care immediately, and she lied to obtain the abortion pills.
“The defendant’s willful actions deprived C.C. of necessary medical care substantially harming his physical health, but given C.C.’s prematurity and the circumstances of his birth, it could not be determined that he would have survived but for the deprivation of medical care,” the criminal complaint stated.
Iowa law protects most preborn children from abortion after six weeks. Additionally, a newer law passed after Conant's baby was born and died, requires abortion pill dispensation in-person after a physical examination.
However, online abortion pill distribution entities like Women on Web have been able to skirt the restrictions of nearly every state by hiding behind "shield laws" that exempt them from prosecution. There are also no ramifications for a woman who orders abortion drugs and then procures her own abortion, even late in pregnancy.
Linn County prosecutor Nick Maybanks reiterated that the charges against Conant had nothing to do with her procuring the abortion.
“The medical abortion is irrelevant to what the defendant is accused of doing once the baby was born — the willful deprivation of medical care,” he said.
He also noted that there is no proof that Conant's actions (after the child's birth) resulted in his death.
“The evidence did not show beyond a reasonable doubt that this baby would have survived if the defendant would have sought emergency care,” he said.
Conant's alleged actions are a textbook example of one of the many problems with online abortion pill distribution. Ordering abortion pills without any personal examination or verification allows anyone to falsify information behind the safety of the screen.
The abortion pill is only approved for use by the FDA up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. As gestation increases, the abortion pill regimen’s efficacy rate decreases — meaning that the later in pregnancy the abortion pill is used, the less successful it will be in ending a preborn child’s life. If it fails — as appeared to happen in this case — there is a chance the child will be born alive.
Though Iowa has placed laws around abortion and abortion pill distribution, those laws are effectively meaningless if online abortion pill companies continue to have free reign to mail the abortion pill regimen without any oversight or legal ramifications.
Babies born as young as 21 weeks have survived when given proper medical care, so it is not uncommon for a baby born at 25-26 weeks to survive.
As long as the abortion pill is readily available through the mail with little oversight, tragic cases like this one will continue to happen, even in states with laws aimed at protecting preborn children. It's time for the FDA to outlaw the abortion pill altogether.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Lisa Bast
·
Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·
Abortion Pill
Cassy Cooke
·
Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·
Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·
Abortion Pill
Nancy Flanders
·
Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·Abortion Pill·By Bridget Sielicki
Woman falsified information to get abortion pill, then left baby born alive to die
An Iowa woman has been arrested after she allegedly ordered abortion pills online using false information and then used those pills far later in pregnancy than the FDA's approved 10 weeks. Her baby was born alive but died after she wrapped him in a towel and placed him in a closet.
An Iowa woman reportedly delivered a baby 25-26 weeks gestation after taking the abortion pill.
The baby was breathing at birth, but she wrapped him in a towel and placed him in a closet. She did not call authorities until two days later.
She is being charged with child endangerment for depriving a child of necessary care and lying to obtain prescription drugs.
She is not facing charges related to the abortion.
Margaret Alaine Conant, 39, of Marion, Iowa, has been charged with child endangerment for depriving a child of necessary care and lying to obtain prescription drugs.
Authorities say Conant ordered the abortion pill online from Women on Web, falsifying her gestational age in order to receive the deadly drugs. She then used the drugs to procure an abortion.
As reported by CBS 2 Iowa, Conant's infant son, known as C.C., was born alive on December 29, 2025. She called authorities two days later to report an "unconscious newborn." She told investigators the baby had been born "barely breathing and making sounds for about a minute."
Instead of seeking medical help immediately, Conant wrapped the infant in a towel, placed him in a bag, and put him in a closet.
Investigators who arrived at the scene December 31 pronounced the child dead. An autopsy determined he was 25 or 26 weeks gestation. Conant's charges stem not from the abortion, but from the fact that she didn't seek proper medical care immediately, and she lied to obtain the abortion pills.
“The defendant’s willful actions deprived C.C. of necessary medical care substantially harming his physical health, but given C.C.’s prematurity and the circumstances of his birth, it could not be determined that he would have survived but for the deprivation of medical care,” the criminal complaint stated.
Iowa law protects most preborn children from abortion after six weeks. Additionally, a newer law passed after Conant's baby was born and died, requires abortion pill dispensation in-person after a physical examination.
However, online abortion pill distribution entities like Women on Web have been able to skirt the restrictions of nearly every state by hiding behind "shield laws" that exempt them from prosecution. There are also no ramifications for a woman who orders abortion drugs and then procures her own abortion, even late in pregnancy.
Linn County prosecutor Nick Maybanks reiterated that the charges against Conant had nothing to do with her procuring the abortion.
“The medical abortion is irrelevant to what the defendant is accused of doing once the baby was born — the willful deprivation of medical care,” he said.
He also noted that there is no proof that Conant's actions (after the child's birth) resulted in his death.
“The evidence did not show beyond a reasonable doubt that this baby would have survived if the defendant would have sought emergency care,” he said.
Conant's alleged actions are a textbook example of one of the many problems with online abortion pill distribution. Ordering abortion pills without any personal examination or verification allows anyone to falsify information behind the safety of the screen.
The abortion pill is only approved for use by the FDA up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. As gestation increases, the abortion pill regimen’s efficacy rate decreases — meaning that the later in pregnancy the abortion pill is used, the less successful it will be in ending a preborn child’s life. If it fails — as appeared to happen in this case — there is a chance the child will be born alive.
Though Iowa has placed laws around abortion and abortion pill distribution, those laws are effectively meaningless if online abortion pill companies continue to have free reign to mail the abortion pill regimen without any oversight or legal ramifications.
Babies born as young as 21 weeks have survived when given proper medical care, so it is not uncommon for a baby born at 25-26 weeks to survive.
As long as the abortion pill is readily available through the mail with little oversight, tragic cases like this one will continue to happen, even in states with laws aimed at protecting preborn children. It's time for the FDA to outlaw the abortion pill altogether.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Lisa Bast
·Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·Abortion Pill
Cassy Cooke
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·Abortion Pill
Carole Novielli
·Abortion Pill
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·