Woman who was sent to prison and labeled ‘baby killer’ after suffering miscarriage gets life-changing payout in Nevada court
Patience Rousseau, a Nevada woman, was wrongfully imprisoned for her 2018 miscarriage after prosecutors convinced courts she had intentionally caused it through drug use. Sentenced to up to eight years in 2019 under a 1911 state law, Rousseau faced community ostracism and harassment before her conviction was overturned in 2021 when evidence proved the prosecution's case had no foundation. She has now secured a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County, acknowledging the county's constitutional violations and infliction of severe emotional distress.
Rousseau was 26 years old when she became pregnant in 2018 but lacked transportation to reach Reno for an abortion appointment. She attempted unproven methods including consuming large amounts of cinnamon in hopes of naturally ending the pregnancy, which resulted in stillbirth at 28-32 weeks gestation. Medical examiners found no evidence linking her methamphetamine, marijuana and tobacco use to the miscarriage, and experts later testified determining the cause was impossible. The settlement, finalised in August, allocates approximately £1.2 million to Rousseau personally, accounting for the years she spent imprisoned and the social damage inflicted by her small Nevada town's response.
- Woman imprisoned for miscarriage receives $1.6 million settlement after conviction overturned
- Prosecutors could not prove her drug use caused the 2018 stillbirth
- She faced severe community harassment in her Nevada town
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Patience Rousseau was imprisoned in Nevada for having a miscarriage in 2018. She was convicted under a state law dating back to 1911 and sentenced to several years in prison, with prosecutors arguing she had intentionally caused the miscarriage through drug use.
Whilst pregnant, Rousseau had used methamphetamine, marijuana and tobacco. However, medical examiners found no evidence connecting her drug use to the miscarriage, and experts later testified that the cause of the pregnancy loss could not be determined.
Rousseau's conviction was overturned in 2021 after her legal team challenged the weakness of the evidence. Her case has drawn attention to how some jurisdictions use old pregnancy loss laws to prosecute women for miscarriages, often without solid scientific foundation.