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Purvi Patel Released From Jail

A judge ruled Wednesday that Purvi Patel had served enough time in jail for a conviction related to a self-induced abortion. She was released Thursday.

The Indiana Court of Appeals vacated Patel’s feticide conviction ruling in July, saying the statute was never intended to be used to prosecute pregnant people who terminate their own pregnancies. Shutterstock

Purvi Patel, the woman who had been convicted of feticide and felony neglect of a dependent for a self-induced abortion, left jail Thursday, one day after a judge ruled Patel had served more time in jail than was necessary.

The Indiana Court of Appeals vacated Patel’s feticide conviction ruling in July, saying the statute was never intended to be used to prosecute pregnant people who terminate their own pregnancies. A jury had also convicted Patel of felony neglect of a minor, and the Court of Appeals vacated that conviction as well, ruling she should be re-sentenced to a lower-level child neglect charge.

Patel on Wednesday was re-sentenced to 18 months for the neglect of a dependent charge. Patel had already served more than the 18-month sentence, and a judge ordered her immediate release.