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A baby girl died less than two hours after being born in a flat’s toilet, following her mother’s consumption of abortion pills that she had purchased online.
The incident occurred on 15 July 2024, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
It happened after the woman, then about 23 years old and unmarried, took eight pills over the course of a morning.
She had not undergone a legal abortion, citing high medical costs and the fear that her parents would find out.
The infant’s cause of death could not be determined, and State Coroner Adam Nakhoda issued an open verdict during an inquiry held on 11 July 2025.
This means that the cause of death is unable to be determined based on the available evidence.
Court documents redacted all parties’ identities.
The mother was referred to only as Miss FQ, ST said.
Miss FQ reportedly went to the bathroom at about 5.45pm on 15 July 2024 after experiencing stomach pains and an urge to defecate.
She called out to her mother, Madam R, as the pain intensified.
By the time help arrived, she had already delivered the baby alone in the toilet.
Both Madam R and a female neighbour later found the infant lying on the bathroom floor.
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According to the coroner, Miss FQ saw the baby “jerk a few times, and she made sounds which sounded like a mix between coughing and clearing its throat”.
Madam R was unable to recall whether the baby had moved or made any sound.
The neighbour said the baby was not crying or moving.
The baby was pronounced dead around 7.30pm, after the mother and child duo were rushed to the hospital.
According to post-mortem results, the baby was around 29 to 33 weeks’ gestational age and had no external or internal injuries.
A doctor also found no natural disease processes that could have caused her death.
Investigations revealed that Miss FQ had not made an appointment with any clinic despite contacting two about abortion costs.
One clinic told her that a consultation and a scan could cost about S$150 and S$120 respectively, while the other quoted up to S$3,000 depending on complexity.
MediSave, she was told, could be used only for surgery, not for consultation.
In July 2024, she saw a post on social media advertising abortion pills and transferred RM500 (S$151) to a woman for eight tablets.
She consumed four pills at once and another four six hours later, as instructed by the seller.
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The packaging had been thrown away, and Miss FQ told investigators she could not remember the name of the pills.
According to the coroner, mifepristone and misoprostol, common drugs used for abortion, were not detected in the baby’s toxicological analysis.
“While there would appear to be a temporal relationship between Miss FQ’s consumption of the pills and the subsequent delivery of the deceased, it could not be established unequivocally that her consumption of the pills had the effect of terminating her pregnancy prematurely,” said State Coroner Nakhoda.
The active ingredient, if any, in the medication could not be verified, and the seller could no longer be contacted.
At the close of the inquiry, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said the baby’s exact cause of death could not be determined.
As such, he returned an open verdict.
According to the Singapore Medical Association, an open verdict may be delivered when “the cause of death cannot be reasonably ascertained based on the evidence produced in the Inquiry”.
It was probable that Miss FQ’s consumption of the pills had an effect on her body, the coroner concluded, but he emphasised that this could not be definitively linked to the baby’s death.
After the baby was pronounced dead at hospital, Miss FQ was discharged two days later, on 17 July 2024.
If you or someone you know is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and needs help, consider contacting licensed healthcare providers for safe, confidential advice:
Also read: Mum in S’pore gives birth in toilet, newborn dies after falling to ground
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Featured image adapted from Catalina Carvajal Herrera on Pexels and by MS News. Image on the left for illustration purposes only.