A pregnant teenager has been murdered in America for not having an abortion, according to the victim’s family.
Rylee Montgomery, a 16-year-old from Arizona, was less than 14 weeks pregnant when she was shot to death in May this year.
The alleged perpetrator of the crime was Rylee’s boyfriend, 18-year-old Michael Isiah Sanchez, who was arrested in connection with the deaths of Rylee and her unborn child.
According to Rylee’s family, Sanchez had previously made several threats that he would end her life, including on the day she lost her life. Police records reveal that the victim had previously filed a report against Sanchez, alleging that he had threatened her with a gun two months prior, in March. Rylee had met with the police the following month and provided them with a 13-page document containing text messages sent by Sanchez.
The family had reported Sanchez to the police on other occasions and were advised that they should take out an order of protection against him. Four hours before the shooting, Rylee phoned the police and said that Sanchez had threatened to kill her, sending her a picture of him with a gun.
Rylee’s stepmother, Amy Montgomery, alleged that the killing of Rylee and her unborn child was due to her desire not to have an abortion.
“First thing he told her was, ‘You’re gonna ****** kill it,’ and she says, ‘No, I am not,’” Amy recalled from when they found out Rylee was pregnant.
“(Rylee) said, ‘I’m going to do my best to raise my baby.’ And it’s just heartbreaking”, she added.
Despite the pregnancy being unplanned, Amy said her family told her, “We love you. We’ll do everything we can to support you and the baby”.
“She didn’t want to have an abortion. She said, ‘I’m going to keep my baby.’ He had other plans for her”, the stepmother recalled.
Two other victims were also shot during the event, including a pregnant 17-year-old girl, who subsequently had to undergo an emergency delivery at 25 weeks gestation, according to Amy. Fortunately, both the mother and child survived in this instance.
Rylee not the only person attacked for refusing to have an abortion
Rylee Montgomery is not the only person to have been attacked for refusing to have an abortion in recent years.
In 2022, a man in Worcester, England, appeared in court after attacking his partner because she would not have an abortion.
Ross Jones admitted to carrying out the attacks in Worcester when he appeared before magistrates. At one stage, he even threatened to get the unborn child “knocked out of her”.
The then-27-year-old admitted seven domestic assaults against the same victim, who attended court heavily pregnant. The court heard that Jones believed that there had been an agreement that his partner would have an abortion, but she decided not to.
In her victim statement, the mother said, “I feel scared to go out in case I see him in the area”.
The victim, who said she wore “baggy clothes to cover up the bruises”, added: “He made me feel like I was worth nothing”.
The prosecution said that the couple had been in a relationship for eighteen months and that “the defendant tried to strangle the complainant with his hands, leaving a red mark to her neck” while she was pregnant.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is a tragedy that young Rylee Montgomery was killed simply because she did not want to end the life of her unborn child. Sanchez’s actions not only led to the death of his girlfriend but also his own unborn child”.
“Women and girls should be given the care and support they need to raise their children, not threatened with assault or murder because they decide that the life of that unborn child is worth living”.
“Our thoughts are with Rylee’s family and all victims of similar crimes”.
