Moira Akers v. State

The Maryland Supreme Court ruled that evidence a defendant considered an abortion during her pregnancy was inadmissible as proof she intended to commit homicide against her newborn. The court found the defendant’s abortion research did not support an inference that she intended to harm a person, so the evidence was not relevant. The court reasoned, in part, that the defendant had a constitutionally and statutorily protected right to search for information on abortion and that Maryland law rejects fetal personhood.