Somebody explain this to me. Why is using a gun illegal, while a saline solution isn't?


Pregnant woman charged with shooting herself





A woman who told police she had been shot in the abdomen was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with illegally inducing an abortion by shooting herself, resulting in the death of her full-term baby girl, police said.


Tammy Skinner, 22, also was charged with using a firearm to commit a felony and filing a false police report when she came to police headquarters at noon at the request of investigators, Suffolk police spokeswoman Lt. Debbie George said. Bond was set at $15,000.


Skinner called police on a cell phone early Thursday and said she had been shot. Emergency personnel found her at a Suffolk car dealership and took her to a hospital.


A charge of inducing an abortion is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Assistant Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Marie Walls has said a murder charge could not be considered unless the baby had breathed on her own before dying.


George declined to discuss a motive in the case.


Skinner's father, Larry, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper of Norfolk for a story published Tuesday that he has believed for some time that his daughter was depressed.


Family members said the single mother worked for temporary services trying to support her two younger children, girls ages 4 and 1. A couple years ago, her stepsister died from brain cancer, and Skinner's depression has increased since then, her father said.


"If I had known how bad off she was, I would have tried to get her help," Larry Skinner said, tearfully, adding that his daughter doesn't need to be in jail. "She needs help. She needs a lot of help."


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