Becky Bell

Rebecca "Becky" Suzanne Bell (August 24, 1971 - September 16, 1988 ) was an American woman who died as a result of a back-alley abortion in 1988. She lived in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Bell became pregnant at age 17, but under a state law in Indiana, minors required parental consent to obtain an abortion. Said to be unwilling to tell her parents about her pregnancy for fear of disappointing them, or go to court to receive a judicial bypass, Bell sought an illegal abortion. Within a week of the procedure, she became seriously ill and died from a massive infection.

Controversy surrounding death
Bell's death has been referenced by many pro-choice and pro-life individuals. Pro-choice groups have used her death to illustrate why parental consent and notification laws are harmful to minors; conversely, many pro-life groups have devoted considerable time trying to debunk stories surrounding her death.

Her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have since become outspoken opponents of parental consent laws, having lobbied in 23 states by 1991 and appearing on news programs such as 60 Minutes. Additionally, Bell's mother submitted an essay to NARAL for use in the 1998 book Choices: Women Speak Out About Abortion. The following is an excerpt from her piece:

Bill and I decided to speak out; we thought we could prevent other girls from dying. We appeared on 60 Minutes. The anti-choice crowd came after us. They followed us. There would be crowds of people with their fetuses in a bottle, and some would say that Becky didn't die the way we said she did. They loosened the lug nuts on our car. In Arkansas, they shot a hole in the building where we were speaking. They cared more about a fetus than about my daughter. I thought, "I'm not afraid of anybody, because my daughter is dead and you can't hurt me anymore." People ask me what I would have done if Becky had told me the truth. I would have been mad, and I would have said, "Becky, you just ruined your life. What are the neighbors going to think?" That would have been my first reaction because that's who I am. But then I would have asked her, "Beck, do you want to get married? Have a baby? Have an abortion? What do you want? What can you live with, hon?" We would have worked it out. But I never got the chance.

Some pro-life groups have questioned Karen and Bill Bell's account of their daughter's death. One theory is that Becky died of "a fast-acting pneumonia" and simultaneously miscarried. Another popular thought is that Becky was under the influence of drugs and had miscarried. In at least one case, it is implied that marijuana use caused her miscarriage and led to her developing the pneumonia listed as her secondary cause of death. However, there is no conclusive link between Bell's alleged drug use and the end of her pregnancy; additionally, there is little to no evidence that supports these claims in general. In several cases, Becky's alleged promiscuity is also mentioned, however, the connection between her death and the number of sexual partners is not clear. Many pro-life groups have acknowledged that Becky was pregnant at or around the time of her death. However, many have denied that her death was related to abortion in any way and some claim that the "abortion industry" has been misleading the public since that time.

Lifestories: Families in Crisis episode
On August 15, 1992, HBO aired an episode of Lifestories: Families in Crisis based on Bell's death, which was entitled "Public Law 106: The Becky Bell Story".

Dina Spybey portrayed Becky Bell, Debra Monk portrayed Karen Bell, and Craig Wasson portrayed Bill Bell.