US man sues women who allegedly helped ex-wife get abortion via ‘illegal pills'

Marcus Silva, the former husband of Brittni Silva, alleges the three women assisted with the abortion through “illegally obtained pills.”

A Texas man who says his ex-wife used an abortion pill to end her pregnancy without his knowledge is suing three women who helped her, invoking the state’s wrongful death law in one of the first such cases since Texas banned almost all abortions last year.

Brittni Silva isn’t named as a defendant in the suit, which was filed Thursday in Texas state court. (Representative)

Marcus Silva, the former husband of Brittni Silva, alleges the three women assisted with the abortion through “illegally obtained pills” and conspired to keep it secret from him. In doing so, they broke a state law holding that “a person who assists a pregnant woman in obtaining a self-managed abortion has committed the crime of murder and can be sued for wrongful death,” according to his suit.

He is represented by Jonathan F. Mitchell, architect of the Texas Heartbeat Act, a separate law that empowers private citizens to sue those who facilitate abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected.

Brittni Silva isn’t named as a defendant in the suit, which was filed Thursday in Texas state court. That is in accordance with state law prohibiting the prosecution of the expectant mother.