Man secretly gave girlfriend pill to end pregnancy, told her it was vitamins, cops say
A Massachusetts man secretly gave his girlfriend a pill to end her pregnancy while she believed she was taking vitamins and iron pills, according to authorities.
Robert Kawada, 43, told her he was giving her vitamins and mineral supplements and slipped her the medication Misoprostol, the Watertown Police Department and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said in a May 27 news release.
Misoprostol has a variety of uses in reproductive health and can be used in a medication abortion or to medically manage a miscarriage, according to a National Library of Medicine report.
After Kawada’s girlfriend took the pills, including one pill authorities said was Misoprostol, she miscarried, according to officials.
Kawada, of Brookline, was arrested May 24 on charges of poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member, District Attorney Marian Ryan and Watertown Chief of Police Justin Hanrahan announced in the release.
Information regarding his legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
He is due in court for an arraignment on May 28 as a law enforcement investigation is underway, the release said.
Kawada is accused of planning to end his girlfriend’s pregnancy after she became pregnant while they were dating, according to authorities. It wasn’t specified how long the woman had been pregnant.
Abortion is legal in Massachusetts, where access to Mifepristone, a medication used with Misoprostol to induce an abortion, is protected, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Brookline, where Kawada is from, is about a 5-mile drive southwest from Boston.
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 7:12 AM with the headline "Man secretly gave girlfriend pill to end pregnancy, told her it was vitamins, cops say."
.jpg)