How??

[ArKane]

Melissa Drexler, 18, concealed her pregnancy from everyone.

After arriving with friends at the Aberdeen Township Banquet Hall in New Jersey, for the Lacey Township High School prom, Drexler went to the women's restroom and gave birth to a son within about 20 - 30 minutes, with her friends right outside the stall.

She told her friend, "Go tell the boys I'll be right out."

Born alive, the infant was suffocated. Drexler cut the umbilical cord on the edge of a metal sanitary napkin box in the stall.

Drexler went to the dance floor.

Maintenance workers were called in to clean up the blood found a bag in the garbage with a dead baby inside. Blood tests revealed no trace of drugs or alcohol.

Prosecutors in Monmouth County initially charged Drexler with murder, but she pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter on October 29, 1998.

Statement read in court by Melissa Drexler as she pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter:

"I knew I was pregnant.

I concealed the pregnancy from everyone.

On the morning of the prom my water broke.

While I was in the car on the way to the prom, I began to have cramps. I went to the prom and I went into the bathroom and delivered the baby.

The baby was born alive. I knowingly took the baby out the toilet and wrapped a series of garbage bags around the baby. I then placed the baby in another garbage bag, knotted it closed and threw it in the trash can.

I was aware of what I was doing at the time when I placed the baby in the bag. And I was further aware that what I did would most certainly result in the death of the baby."

New Jersey v. Melissa Drexler "The Prom Mom Case"

Crying and apologetic, Melissa Drexler was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing her newborn son moments after delivering the baby in the bathroom at her senior prom.

Melissa admits she killed her newborn son and plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of the boy she delivered during her high school senior prom.

Update: Released from prison, 11/2001 at age 23 to go home and live with her parents. She was noted to be a model prisoner. Melissa Drexler took fashion courses while in prison and hopes to work in the industry, said her lawyer, Steven Secare.

**************************

How can anyone be so rationally and unremorseful as to give birth to her baby and then kill it so she could go to her prom, be released for jail early?

She knew exactly what she was doing, she said so herself.

The human race doesn't surprise us anymore.

[RubyRose]

Ah ... that's just wrong. I can understand concealing the pregnancy, but killing your own baby? And being fully aware of what you were doing ... that's shocking.

[Mistress_Ravenshadow]

i think ppl who kill their children should get the death penalty..

[Xentor]

I can totally understand this.

People who kill their newborns, especially at that age, might not be ready for parenting. They're not yet up for the responsibility of raising a child. They themselves are no more than kids. This young lady preferred to go dancing at her prom.

I can imagine hundreds of newborns getting killed upon birth for the exact same reason every day. Don't look so shocked.

[ArKane]

But to do it like it was nothing?

[Raven Reed]

I can totally understand this.

People who kill their newborns, especially at that age, might not be ready for parenting. They're not yet up for the responsibility of raising a child. They themselves are no more than kids. This young lady preferred to go dancing at her prom.

I can imagine hundreds of newborns getting killed upon birth for the exact same reason every day. Don't look so shocked.


I can understand a kid blocking out on a pregnancy till the baby actually comes. My best friend's daughter hid a pregnancy from everyone until she went into labour. But she didn't KILL the infant. That's a bit different. Once it's out, it's alive, it's being.

[Faery-Wings]

It doesn't shock me, it just royally p***** me off. :mad:

There are so many women out there that want a baby desperately and can't. And these brats throw life away.

[SphinYote]

OT but in response to the above:

Those that want so desparately to and cant should adopt. There are too many children that need good homes that get lost in the system because peope so badly want something of their own flesh and blood that they don't care enough to open their hearts too children who really need their love and support.

Sorry if this is offensive, I know people desparate to have children of their own, but I just don't understand. It seems so selfish to me when there are so many children that need good homes. I find it at least as deeply disturbing as this case here.

I apologise to anyone who reads this and is presently trying to have children of their own, if I've hurt or offended them. But if I have, please help me to understand...because in the bigger picture, I truly don't. (with the exception of course of people wo have tried to adopt and were some reason denied, sometimes there are good reasons for denying the right to adopt, sometimes they are trivial).

There are so many people wo are good, loving people, who could provide an exellent life for children whether it be their own or adopted. They want their own so badly that other childrean end up getting lost in the system, abused, etc. It breaks my heart.

SphinYote

[SphinYote]

chrissi1, reading your profile makes me think that maybe I should have not been quite as....blunt in my post? If I'm right and you are trying to have a baby, please don't take offence at my post, I do sympathise in some respects, how emotional it can be. do hope I haven't said anything hurtful, but if I have, please understand that it wasn't meant to be. I've just become...very saddened at seeing so many children lost in the system....it really bothers me after a while.

SphinYote

[soilsigh aingeal]

I can understand people who want to have their own children. It's the people who adopt children and get on waiting lists because they would rather have an infant that gets to me.

Now, back on topic...
I understand that she may not have been ready to be a parent, in that case, she should have terminated her pregnancy when she found out she was pregnant or she should have given it up for adoption. This is just extreme.

[Aowyn]

I am shocked that she is roaming free now and at the relatively light sentence she received for premeditated murder. She admitted as much in her statement I thought.

Now on to the question of adoption...there are alot of hurdles a person has to clear in order to adopt, I know that many of these are put in there for good reason but the truth is alot of people cannot meet the criteria for adopting a child. Although anyone with fully functional sexual organs can have a child naturally...kind of messed up in my opinion.

[Faery-Wings]

SphinYote- no I have tow beauutiful kids and I am done :)
but... One of my best friends tried for years and years to have kids. The day we found out that her second in vitro didn't take was the day they found a baby in a dumpster with those two kids in MD?? VA?? Either way...
She later has adopted two kids.
And and another friend lost her baby when she was seven months pregnant- I met with her support group - all whom had lost a baby .. heartbreaking.

I think I was kind of harsh myslef. I just hate hate hate! Thinking how some people have absolutely no respect for life.

[Mab]

I am 30 years old, and have been trying for a year to conceive. We've decided to take a break from trying, hoping that maybe it's just stress that's keeping it from happening. I can completely understand Chryssi1's response. It is sickening & infuriating to me for anyone--no matter what the age or situation--to simply throw away (in this case literally) a life. I want a child of my own, yes. I want the experience of being pregnant. I want to experience birth & to hold a child that is a perfect combination of myself & my man. Maybe I am being selfish. I don't think it's wrong or unnatural for me to want it. I understand, though, also the sorrow of all the children that are given up or who lose their parents & families & end up "in the system".

[Ceres]

Why dont these girls just drop the baby off anyplace resonably safe? Why not abandon the baby in a changeroom or at a mall someplace so it can live even if they dont want anyone to find out they had a child? Why havent we set up safe places mothers could abandon their child anonymously so they can do so without putting the child in jeopardy?

[Faery-Wings]

In NJ there are hospitals and police stations set up where they can do that. The local ER has a baby car seat or bassinet type thing with posters saying that they can drop a baby off there and it will be cared for. It is in a lobby not near the security desk. I wish more peope would use them instead of this awful alternative.

[Loralienn]

Here you can drop off a baby at any hospital, fire station... and I THINK police station and they won't press charges for abandonment. It is on the news all the time and stuff, and still people put babys in dumpsters and such. So sad :(

[ArKane]

Why have a kid if your just going to adandon it?

[Arinya]

That girl should get smacked across the face.
Why?
Because last I knew 48 out of 50 states have no fault safe drop off laws. Meaning you can leave your kid at the police station anonymously at no inconvience to you and no criminal charges will be put on you and the police station will deal with it (which is probably send it to an orphanage or whatever they do with unwanted kids).
There was no need to kill it.

[Djiril]

I think she was probably in scared, panicked, and in denial while she was doing it. I think that even though she "knew" she was pregnant, she didn't allow herself to fully comprehend it.

I also notice that the article said that the baby was born in 20-30 minutes. It did not mention how big the baby was, but for it to be born in that time I think it must have been very underweight. That also would explain why she was able to hide her pregnancy so easily.

If I am right and it was, that would have made it easier for her to see it as something other that human.

I imagine her thoughts as being something like, "Thisisnothappening thisisnothappening I'm going to make it go away!" (Only speculation, of course.)

Don't get me wrong. I do not advocate the smothering of babys under any condition. I think the punishment she got was the right one from what I know of the situation. I do think that we should try to really understand the mentality of people who do this kind of thing. It is easy (and correct) to condemn them, but unless we try to understand why things like this happen we won't get anywhere just saying "How awful!"

[Amethyst Rose]

I also notice that the article said that the baby was born in 20-30 minutes. It did not mention how big the baby was, but for it to be born in that time I think it must have been very underweight. That also would explain why she was able to hide her pregnancy so easily.


I disagree. The article said her water broke earlier in the day, and she started having contractions on the way to the prom. It took her 20-30 minutes to push the baby out. That's how long it took me to push out my son, and he was a healthy 8lbs 4oz. I was in labor for about 12 hours before pushing. Some people just have babies quickly. :)

[soilsigh aingeal]

I was aware of what I was doing at the time when I placed the baby in the bag. And I was further aware that what I did would most certainly result in the death of the baby." I think she knew what she was doing.

Also, my kids were both over 7lbs, my daughter was out in five and my son was out in a litlte more than that. I only pushed 3-4 times for each of them.

[Djiril]

I disagree. The article said her water broke earlier in the day, and she started having contractions on the way to the prom. It took her 20-30 minutes to push the baby out. That's how long it took me to push out my son, and he was a healthy 8lbs 4oz. I was in labor for about 12 hours before pushing. Some people just have babies quickly. :)
Oops, my mistake! I still wonder what her mindset was at the time she did it. I sometimes think there is a criminal lack of curiosity as to the reasons people do bad things, and that if we really tried to understand them more we would have a better chance of stopping them from happening.