Teens Appear in Court After Mom Gives Birth to 31-Week-Old Baby, Leaves Baby in Toilet

Two teenagers appeared in court after an 18-year-old woman gave birth to a 31-week-old baby in a toilet and left the newborn there following an attempted chemical abortion.

Syeisha Jadan Johnson, 18, and Elijah Jshaun Speight, 19, face felony charges stemming from the July 29 incident at a Durham home.

According to court documents, Johnson ordered abortion drugs online and took them days earlier in an effort to kill the baby. She then experienced abdominal pain, sat on the toilet, and delivered the baby, who was left in the toilet for several minutes.

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Firefighters arrived, performed CPR on the infant, restored a pulse, and transported the baby to Duke University Medical Center, where the child survived.

The baby was born at 31 weeks gestation, a stage at which the child had completed most major development and was viable outside the womb.

Johnson is charged with assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. Speight faces a charge of negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. A judge set bond at $1,000 for each.

The couple learned of the baby in June, when Johnson was approximately 20 weeks along.

North Carolina law generally prohibits abortion after 12 weeks.

Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry said she would review the evidence and has concerned people about her impartiality with a pro-abortion statement.

“What I can say is that I have been on the record over and over again saying I believe a woman has the right to choose and has the right to make decisions about her own body, and we will review the evidence in this case in that light,” Deberry said.

She also noted the defendants “are very young, and [it’s] important they be with their families and be able to defend themselves appropriately.”

Johnson’s public defender, Barbara Lagemann, argued that her client sought help for the child.

“Miss Johnson did exactly what we would expect her to do, which is getting care for her child,” Lagemann said.

Pro-life advocates have highlighted the case as an example of a late-term attempt to end the life of a viable baby through illegal means, followed by the infant being left in a toilet until emergency responders intervened and saved the child’s life.

The baby remains under medical care.