Ohio man sentenced to 13 years for attempt to force abortion at gunpoint

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 10, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Ohio man who tried to force his girlfriend to abort their unborn child at gunpoint was sentenced to 13 years in prison Thursday.

Dominic Holt-Reid, 28, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, kidnapping, and carrying a concealed weapon in April.

Holt-Reid and his girlfriend, Yolanda Burgess, had dropped their son at school in October and Holt-Reid became angry after Burgess refused to go through with an abortion they had scheduled for that morning.  As a result, he pulled out a .45 caliber handgun from the glove compartment and said she had no choice.

Police said he then forced Burgess, who was three-months pregnant at the time, to drive to an abortion facility, where staff called police after Burgess passed them a note explaining the situation.  The child has been born and is doing well.

At first Holt-Reid only faced charges of kidnapping and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, but a Franklin County grand jury expanded the indictment to include a charge of “attempted murder” against the unborn child.

The case sheds light on the stark reality of forced abortion in the U.S., which is far more common than generally thought.

The Eliot Institute, in their report Forced Abortion in America, cites research indicating that 64% of abortions in the country are a result of coercion, whether by a parent, a partner, a sex abuser, or other controlling figure.  In many cases, this coercion can become violent.  In fact, they note that murder is the leading cause of death for pregnant women.

See The Eliot Institute’s Forced Abortion in America here.