Pennsylvania man charged with assault on preborn child after punching pregnant girlfriend

A Franklin County, Pennsylvania, man has been charged with aggravated assault on a preborn child after he punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach when she refused to have an abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• Antoine Jean Porcenat has been charged with felony aggravated assault of an unborn child, misdemeanor assault, and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

• A woman, who has remained anonymous, reported to a local hospital saying Porcenat assaulted her after she refused to have an abortion.

• He also tried to make her drink an unknown liquid.

The Details:

According to the Chambersburg Public Opinion, the anonymous woman went to WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital on May 18, reporting severe pain and bleeding. She told hospital staff that she was eight weeks pregnant, and her boyfriend, Porcenat, wanted her to have an abortion. She refused, and he allegedly struck her twice in the stomach with "substantial force."

He also tried to make her drink an unknown liquid, but it is not clear if she drank any or if it had been spiked with anything. Reportedly, he had wanted her to drink the "unknown liquid to ‘get rid of the baby,'" insinuating he may have put abortion drugs into it.

Porcenat was arrested and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Glenn Manns on May 19. When he was unable to make his $25,000 bail, he was placed in the Franklin County jail. He has been charged with felony aggravated assault of an unborn child, misdemeanor assault, and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

The Big Picture:

Women who refuse abortion when their significant others demand it face serious threats of violence. With the advent of mail-order mifepristone, men have frequently been able to force women into abortions they did not want. In some cases, men add the abortion pill to drinks, as Porcenat seemingly tried to do. In others, they are more violent, forcing the pills into the victims' mouths or vaginas.

Homicide is also a leading cause of death for pregnant women. The threat is so severe that research has found homicide “exceeded all the leading causes of maternal mortality.” While this is not always related to abortion refusal, it is not unusual.

The Bottom Line:

No woman should ever fear for her life or that of her preborn child because she did not want to have an abortion.