Woman jailed for giving herself a miscarriage wins $1.6m settlement
Patience Rousseau has secured a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County, Nevada, after spending more than two years in prison over her miscarriage. Her conviction for manslaughter was overturned, and the case has drawn attention to the use of an obscure law to prosecute pregnancy loss.
Rousseau was charged after giving birth to a stillborn son in 2018; prosecutors argued that her use of drugs during pregnancy showed an intention to end it. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to eight years, but a lawyer later challenged the conviction, arguing that prosecutors could not prove drugs caused the miscarriage. About $1.2 million of the settlement will go directly to Rousseau, who says the ordeal and separation from her children cannot be undone by money.
- Rousseau won a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County.
- She spent more than two years in prison before her conviction was overturned.
- She says the case’s impact on her family remains.
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In 2018, Patience Rousseau gave birth to a stillborn son in Nevada. She was subsequently charged with manslaughter, with prosecutors arguing that her drug use during pregnancy demonstrated an intention to end the pregnancy.
The prosecution relied on an obscure law to treat pregnancy loss as a criminal matter. Prosecutors claimed that drug use during pregnancy could amount to a criminal act, even without demonstrating that the drugs had caused the stillbirth.
Rousseau's case drew attention to how criminal law can be applied to pregnancy outcomes. It focused debate on the legal treatment of pregnancy loss and the application of criminal statutes to such cases.