INDIANAPOLIS, May 22 (UPI) -- A woman in Indiana accused of killing her unborn baby by ingesting rat poison was released on bond Tuesday, her lawyer said.
Bei Bei Shuai said she was "very happy" following her release from the Marion County Jail , where she had been incarcerated for a year, but still faces charges of murder and feticide in connection with the incident. She gave birth to the baby, who later died, WISH-TV reported Tuesday.
"Today is a celebration," said Linda Pence, Shuai's attorney. "This wonderful woman is out of jail, she's been released and we will be following all the restrictions."
Lawyers had been fighting for Shuai to be released on bond, the television station said, arguing her behavior was tied to a suicide attempt caused by depression and not an attempt to end the pregnancy.
The story has created a national controversy that was addressed in a statement from the organization National Advocates for Pregnant Women, which, Pence said, provided additional legal assistance in the case.
The statement expressed the group's approval of Shuai's release from jail, but condemned the Indiana law, recently upheld by the Indiana Supreme Court, that "tells mothers that if they experience a pregnancy loss, they can be charged with the crimes of feticide and murder."
