Woman arrested in Starr County on murder charge for ‘illegal abortion’

A woman was arrested Thursday and charged with murder for having a self-induced “illegal abortion.”

According to the Starr County Sheriff’s Office, Lizelle Herrera, 26, was arrested and served with an indictment “on the charge of Murder after Herrera did then and there intentionally and knowingly cause the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.”

Herrera is currently in custody at the Starr County Detention Center. She faces a surety bond of $500,000.

The case remains under investigation.

Her arrest comes as Texas enacted one of the strictest abortion laws in the country last year in SB 8 which encourages private citizens to sue individuals or organizations that help people get an abortion after six weeks of gestation. The law is currently being contested in court.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:34 p.m. for clarity about SB 8.