RIO GRANDE CITY — The woman arrested and jailed here on a murder charge stemming from what local authorities say was a “self-induced abortion” has been released.
Major Carlos Delgado of the Starr County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday evening that Lizelle Herrera, 26, who authorities said Friday was arrested for an “illegal abortion,” was released from jail on a $500,000 bond.
Delgado said a local bondsman posted the bond for Herrera, who is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Herrera’s arrest has caused a tsunami of outrage from Starr County and throughout much of the country.
With news breaking Friday afternoon, members of Frontera Fund — an organization aiming to make abortions more accessible to citizens of the Rio Grande Valley — gathered their resources and organized a protest Saturday morning at the Starr County Jail, where Herrera was held up until her release later that evening.
Despite their best efforts, the protest was sparsely attended Saturday morning, but their message was loud and clear — they wanted Herrera released immediately.
“We are just raising awareness about this issue and letting Starr County Jail know that we are demanding an immediate release of Lizelle Herrera,” Cathy Torres, organizing manager for Frontera Fund, said. “She’s being criminalized because of her pregnancy outcomes, and that’s just not right.”
After learning of Herrera’s release, Frontera Fund said on Twitter and in a news release that she now has legal counsel, and that the organization has also started a legal defense and reconciliation fund for her and her family.
In a statement Saturday, Frontera Fund Founder and Board Chair Rockie Gonzalez said the org plans on taking “aim to send a message to Governor Abbott, to the Starr County Sheriff Rene Fuentes, the Starr County commissioners Abel Cantu, Raul Peña III, Eloy Garza, Ruben D. Saenz, Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez, Rio Grande City Chief of Police Noe Castillo and the Starr County hospital staff and leadership that broke patient confidentiality regarding Lizelle’s pregnancy outcome.”
Gonzalez went on to state: “We will not allow you to terrorize innocent families, we will bring the (spotlight) to you and your actions and all those who corroborate with you. We will cast the spotlight on you the way you have done to Lizelle and her family. Until we have justice for Lizelle, we will not stand down. Expect us.”
Little information has been released about what led to Herrera’s arrest Thursday. According to an indictment obtained by The Monitor, Herrera is accused of “intentionally and knowingly causing [sic] the death of an individual J.A.H., by a self-induced abortion.”
Herrera is facing a murder charge and her bond was set at $500,000.
“We’re here in solidarity with her,” Torres said. “We’re demanding justice for her and we gathered as much community as we could in short notice to start sending those shockwaves out.”
When asked about her reaction to the news breaking about Herrera’s arrest, Torres said that it made her feel sick to her stomach.
“To be charged with something so huge and large — something like murder — for making a decision for herself, that is just completely wrong,” Torres said. “That’s just another example of how the state legislature, the city government and anti-choice people just want to strip us of our bodily autonomy. They want to control the decisions that we want to make with our bodies, and that’s just not right.”
Melissa Arjona, president and founder of South Texans for Reproductive Justice, was also on-hand Saturday to show support for Herrera.
“It’s concerning that someone from the Valley is being made an example, especially after all the laws that have been passed,” Arjona said. “We’re going to be seeing more focus on this law.”
Arjona was referring to Senate Bill 8, which was passed in the Texas Legislature on May 19, 2021, and went into effect on Sep. 1, 2021. The law allows private citizens to sue anyone who has had or assisted an abortion after around six weeks of pregnancy.
The details surrounding Herrera’s arrest remain sparse. It is not known what led to her arrest; however the indictment does refer to the date of Jan. 7 as when the “self-inflicted abortion” allegedly took place.
“We think it’s wrong, and we’re going to fight until she’s out,” Arjona said.
Meghan Lowrey, a doctoral candidate from Dallas also attended Saturday’s protest. She has been living in the Valley to research intersexuality and how legislation such as SB 8 and anti-immigration legislation affect reproductive health.
“I heard about this last night, and it was shocking,” Lowrey said. “We don’t have all the information yet which is part of the problem, which I think is really impactful because people are really scared. Nobody really knows what they can and cannot do because if it’s based off the six weeks rule and she did this at seven weeks, legally she shouldn’t be allowed to be arrested.”
Lowrey also described Herrera’s $500,000 bond as shocking.
“I think all of that is important for me to come down and show my support,” Lowrey said. “Throughout the state, most women feel the same way, that this is a dangerous precedent that’s being set. We need to have this addressed as soon as possible.”
More information about Frontera Fund may be found at fronterafundrgv.org or their Facebook and Twitter pages under the handle @LaFronteraFund. Information about South Texans for Reproductive Rights can be found on their Facebook page or through Instagram and Twitter under the handle @sotx4rj.
