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

Two teenagers face felony charges after the 18-year-old mother took abortion pills to kill her 31-week-old unborn baby.

But the baby survived and she delivered a living baby into a toilet, and left the child there for several minutes.

Eventually, first responders intervened and saved the infant’s life.

Syeisha Jadan Johnson, 18, and the baby’s father, Elijah Jshaun Speight, 19, were arrested August 4 in connection with the July 29 incident.

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Court documents state that Johnson ordered the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol online from Virginia and took them on July 26 “in an attempt to terminate her pregnancy early.” The couple learned of the pregnancy in June, when Johnson was about 20 weeks along, Speight told investigators.

On July 29, according to a detective’s account in the warrants, “Ms. Johnson began having abdominal pain and sat down during the day to help with the pain. She sat on the toilet and gave birth to a child.”

The infant was born at 31 weeks gestation, weighed under 5.5 pounds, and was left in the toilet.

Durham firefighters and police found the newborn with a pulse, performed CPR, and transported the baby to Duke Medical Center, where the child survived. At 31 weeks, the baby had completed most major development and was viable outside the womb.

North Carolina law permits abortion only up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, with narrow exceptions.

The abortion drug Johnson obtained kills babies, is dangerous for women and only approved for abortions early in pregnancy.

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 is charged with negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. A judge set each teen’s bond at $1,000, noting neither had a criminal background or posed a danger to the community.

Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry, who is pro-abortion, said she had not yet fully reviewed the evidence.

“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.

The baby is not the mother’s body.

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

Johnson’s defense attorney argued that state law exempts pregnant women from certain prosecutions involving their own unborn child and that Johnson sought help after the birth.

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

The case involves a deliberate attempt to end the life of a fully formed, viable baby far past the state’s legal limit using chemical abortion drugs. Only the rapid response of emergency personnel prevented the child’s death after the infant was left in the toilet.