TIFTON — The Tift County District Attorney’s Office has announced that all charges against a woman arrested for disposing of a deceased fetus after suffering a miscarriage have been dismissed.

District Attorney Patrick Warren reported in a press release earlier today that Selena Maria Chandler-Scott, 24, charged with a count of concealing the death of another person and abandoning a dead body after she suffered a miscarriage and disposed of the deceased 19-week old fetus in a dumpster, has had all charges against her dismissed; the DA determined neither charge was applicable to the case.

Relevant Georgia case law requires that for the charges of both concealing the death of another person and abandoning a dead body, the death of said person must be of a person that was “born and existed separate and independent of its mother.”

Warren stated, however, that a GBI medical examiner inspected the fetus and determined that it had not taken a breath outside the womb and that there were no signs of life or evidence of trauma or foul play.  This thereby rendered the charges inapplicable, as the fetus had not existed separate or independent of its mother.

“After thorough examination of the facts and law, my office has determined that continuing prosecution is not legally sustainable and not in the interest of justice,” Warren said. “This case is heartbreaking and emotionally difficult for everyone involved, but our decision must be grounded in law — not emotion or speculation.”

The proceedings of this case have made waves beyond Tifton and Tift County, with even state legislators responding to the situation and pushing for reform as a result.

Earlier this week, Georgia state Sen. Sally Harrell called for the reversal of the fetal personhood component of the state’s six-week abortion ban, citing Chandler-Scott’s arrest as a prime example of the flaws within the policy.

Harrell noted that a woman suffering a miscarriage at only eight weeks would be subjected to the same charges as Chandler-Scott despite the fetus present being only “the size of a bean.” She said the case further highlights how severe the current jurisdictions are and how much they will harm women solely experiencing a natural bodily process.

“This case demonstrates the idiocy of fetal personhood,” Harrell said to fellow state legislators during a hearing. “Every woman of reproductive age in Georgia who miscarries beyond the six-week marker of Georgia’s law can now be criminalized for a miscarriage.”