Mason Herring, a 39-year-old Houston attorney, has been sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to charges of injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. The case stems from his attempts to induce an abortion in his then-pregnant wife by spiking her drinks with misoprostol, a drug used to induce abortion.
Herring's wife, Catherine Herring, who has since filed for divorce, expressed disappointment with the sentence, stating that 180 days is insufficient for attempting to kill their unborn child seven times. The couple's one-year-old daughter was born prematurely at about 10 weeks early and now requires therapy eight times a week due to developmental delays.
According to court documents, in March 2022, Mason Herring began lecturing his wife on hydration and offering her water. She became severely ill after drinking from a cup that appeared cloudy, which he attributed to dirty pipes. Catherine Herring grew suspicious and later found packaging for misoprostol in the trash. She also installed hidden cameras that captured him mixing a substance into her drinks.
Herring's attorney, Dan Cogdell, described the plea deal and sentence as reasonable, adding that Herring has accepted responsibility for his actions. The case highlights the legal consequences of using medication to interfere with a pregnancy without consent.
