Texas woman sues U.S. marine who allegedly spiked her drink with abortion pills
The woman, Liana Davis of Corpus Christi, Texas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday, claiming that Christopher Cooprider, her neighbour and a U.S. marine stationed in the city, impregnated her and then dosed her with 10 abortion pills after she rebuffed his repeated requests to end the pregnancy.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, alleges that Cooprider obtained drugs from Aid Access, a non-profit organization run by a Dutch physician, Rebecca Gomperts, that sends abortion medication by mail to the United States and globally.
Davis's lawyer argued that the non-profit 'purposely and knowingly mailed abortion-inducing drugs into Texas in violation of state and federal law.'
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The Aid Access website says it can legally provide abortion pills by mail to all 50 U.S. states by working with abortion providers in shield law states.
According to KFF, an independent source for health policy research in the U.S., shield law states such as New York, Massachusetts, and California, where abortion is legal, protect abortion providers operating in those jurisdictions from prosecution by states where abortion is banned.
For example, a doctor in New York could mail abortion pills to a patient in Texas and would be protected by the New York shield laws, even if Texas law says their actions are illegal.
Davis claims that after contesting Cooprider's pleas to 'get rid of ' the baby, on April 5, he laced a hot chocolate with abortion pills following several months of heated back and forth about the fate of the unborn child.
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A series of text message exchanges beginning on Jan. 31 — before Davis took a positive pregnancy test — included in the court filing shows Davis's response to Cooprider's abortion request: 'Jesus, I thought you were conservative,' she wrote.
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'So you're one of those 'conservative until it happens to your own mistress guys,'' she added.
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'We are not in love, we are not together, would be messed up to bring a child into the world without both parents raising them,' Cooprider said, the lawsuit states.
On Feb. 3, he reiterated those sentiments, requesting that she abort the pregnancy if the test was positive.
'If it's positive, we need to schedule a clinic visit and get an abortion pill asap,' the exchange continued; 'excuse me?' Davis replied.
According to the lawsuit, Davis found out she was pregnant on Feb. 4.
Upon learning this, Cooprider reiterated his desire for her to 'get rid of' the baby. In response, Davis asked him to use different phrasing, saying, 'Every time you say 'get rid of it' it's like an electric shock,' the suit says.
Further messages allegedly show Cooprider proceeding to order abortion pills online from Aid Access and instructing Davis to take them, a process she claims he kick-started without her consent.
'Well, YEAH, I am not okay with u buying something like that w/o my permission. It is not a benign purchase,' Davis wrote on Feb. 6, according to the court filing.
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On Feb. 11, the lawsuit says Cooprider informed Davis that the pills had arrived.
In the weeks that followed, Cooprider made repeated efforts in person and over text to convince Davis to abort the child, court documents show.
She claims that on several occasions he came to her house with the pills and purposefully left them behind in the hopes she would take them of her own volition, a tactic Davis says she found 'disturbing.'
The abortion pill regimen requires the pregnant person to take two different pills 24-48 hours apart.
In a text message on Feb. 18, he allegedly wrote: 'Want you to practice some positive reinforcement. At the beginning of every hour, say out loud, 'I am going to be good and safe after taking the M&M's.'' (M&Ms referring to Mifepristone and Misoprostol – the combination of abortion pills Cooprider had ordered).
Davis continued to rebuke Cooprider, accusing him of having a selfish attitude after he said there were 'zero pros' for him in the situation, the lawsuit says. On March 5, he agreed to attend an ultrasound appointment scheduled for March 25.
In the weeks that followed, Davis and Cooprider shared increasingly contentious texts; the lawsuit alleges that neither would budge on their position.
During that time, Davis claims that Cooprider referred to the unborn baby as a 'thing' and a 'mistake,' while she reiterated that she was capable of raising the child alongside her three children from a previous marriage. The suit says Cooprider accused Davis of having a 'psycho mentality' and threatened to contact her ex, with whom she was allegedly embroiled in legal proceedings.
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Davis had accused her former partner of physically and emotionally abusing their children. The lawsuit says she had confided in Cooprider about her soon-to-be ex-husband on numerous occasions.
By April, Davis, now eight weeks pregnant, claims that Cooprider was aware that he was running out of time to convince her to take the pills, which were only effective up until the 10-week mark.
According to the lawsuit, on April 2, Cooprider asked Davis to hang out and watch television, painting the arrangement as a 'trust-building night,' text messages show. Davis claims this led her to believe he had accepted her decision to have the child, and that she saw it as a sign that there was an opportunity for the baby to have a relationship with their father.
On the night of April 5, Cooprider came to Davis' home with a hot chocolate mix, claiming that warm beverages had been helping him to sleep at night, and offered to make one for her. While mixing the drink and when Davis had stepped out with her dog, she claims Cooprider laced the hot chocolate with the abortion pills, adding that he also made himself a cup.
About 30 minutes later, Davis says she began hemorrhaging and cramping and knew she needed to seek medical attention, but could not leave her three children who were sleeping upstairs, the suit says.
The pair decided that Cooprider would pick up Davis' mother, who lived close by, so she could take care of the children while Cooprider took Davis to the hospital.
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But after Cooprider left the house, Davis claims he stopped responding to messages and calls, and that she soon realized he had spiked the hot chocolate with the abortion pills.
After calling her mother an Uber to her home and returning from the hospital, Davis said she found the open box of pills and a pill bottle, which she handed to the Corpus Christi police, according to the lawsuit.
The Corpus Christi Police Department did not respond to Global News' request for comment, but told NBC News that there are no active investigations involving Cooprider
The Marine Corps did not respond to a request for comment.
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Davis claims that after contesting Cooprider's pleas to 'get rid of ' the baby, on April 5, he laced a hot chocolate with abortion pills following several months of heated back and forth about the fate of the unborn child. 1:02 Pregnant Georgia woman declared brain dead taken off life support after baby delivered A series of text message exchanges beginning on Jan. 31 — before Davis took a positive pregnancy test — included in the court filing shows Davis's response to Cooprider's abortion request: 'Jesus, I thought you were conservative,' she wrote. Story continues below advertisement 'So you're one of those 'conservative until it happens to your own mistress guys,'' she added. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We are not in love, we are not together, would be messed up to bring a child into the world without both parents raising them,' Cooprider said, the lawsuit states. On Feb. 3, he reiterated those sentiments, requesting that she abort the pregnancy if the test was positive. 'If it's positive, we need to schedule a clinic visit and get an abortion pill asap,' the exchange continued; 'excuse me?' Davis replied. According to the lawsuit, Davis found out she was pregnant on Feb. 4. Upon learning this, Cooprider reiterated his desire for her to 'get rid of' the baby. In response, Davis asked him to use different phrasing, saying, 'Every time you say 'get rid of it' it's like an electric shock,' the suit says. 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In a text message on Feb. 18, he allegedly wrote: 'Want you to practice some positive reinforcement. At the beginning of every hour, say out loud, 'I am going to be good and safe after taking the M&M's.'' (M&Ms referring to Mifepristone and Misoprostol – the combination of abortion pills Cooprider had ordered). Davis continued to rebuke Cooprider, accusing him of having a selfish attitude after he said there were 'zero pros' for him in the situation, the lawsuit says. On March 5, he agreed to attend an ultrasound appointment scheduled for March 25. In the weeks that followed, Davis and Cooprider shared increasingly contentious texts; the lawsuit alleges that neither would budge on their position. During that time, Davis claims that Cooprider referred to the unborn baby as a 'thing' and a 'mistake,' while she reiterated that she was capable of raising the child alongside her three children from a previous marriage. The suit says Cooprider accused Davis of having a 'psycho mentality' and threatened to contact her ex, with whom she was allegedly embroiled in legal proceedings. Story continues below advertisement Davis had accused her former partner of physically and emotionally abusing their children. The lawsuit says she had confided in Cooprider about her soon-to-be ex-husband on numerous occasions. By April, Davis, now eight weeks pregnant, claims that Cooprider was aware that he was running out of time to convince her to take the pills, which were only effective up until the 10-week mark. According to the lawsuit, on April 2, Cooprider asked Davis to hang out and watch television, painting the arrangement as a 'trust-building night,' text messages show. Davis claims this led her to believe he had accepted her decision to have the child, and that she saw it as a sign that there was an opportunity for the baby to have a relationship with their father. On the night of April 5, Cooprider came to Davis' home with a hot chocolate mix, claiming that warm beverages had been helping him to sleep at night, and offered to make one for her. While mixing the drink and when Davis had stepped out with her dog, she claims Cooprider laced the hot chocolate with the abortion pills, adding that he also made himself a cup. About 30 minutes later, Davis says she began hemorrhaging and cramping and knew she needed to seek medical attention, but could not leave her three children who were sleeping upstairs, the suit says. The pair decided that Cooprider would pick up Davis' mother, who lived close by, so she could take care of the children while Cooprider took Davis to the hospital. Story continues below advertisement But after Cooprider left the house, Davis claims he stopped responding to messages and calls, and that she soon realized he had spiked the hot chocolate with the abortion pills. After calling her mother an Uber to her home and returning from the hospital, Davis said she found the open box of pills and a pill bottle, which she handed to the Corpus Christi police, according to the lawsuit. The Corpus Christi Police Department did not respond to Global News' request for comment, but told NBC News that there are no active investigations involving Cooprider The Marine Corps did not respond to a request for comment.
