NY woman charged with self-abortion after her fetus is found in trash

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - A 20-year-old Manhattan woman was arrested Thursday after police say she wrapped her fetus in a plastic bag and left her in a trash bin outside her apartment.

Yaribely Almonte is facing the rare charge of self-abortion. She was released pending a court appearance in January.

Sources told the Associated Press that police are investigating whether Almonte drank an herbal concoction in order to induce an abortion.

According to the New York Times, the fetus, which was found by the building's superintendent, was six or seven inches long.

The Times also reported that the charge of self-abortion, which applies when an abortion is performed after 24 weeks of pregnancy but not because a doctor determined the mother's life is in danger, is a misdemeanor and is used very rarely in New York State.