Woman tried to cut foetus from neighbour's womb

A US woman pleaded guilty today to trying to cut a foetus from her neighbour’s womb.

Peggy Jo Conner (aged 39) of Manor Township, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping in the attack on Valerie Oskin, which authorities said was a plot to steal Ms Oskin’s baby and keep it as her own.

The plea came as Conner’s trial was scheduled to begin today in Armstrong County.

Authorities accused Conner of attacking Ms Oskin on October 13, 2005, inside her home with a baseball bat, and then driving Oskin to a remote location, where she used a razor to cut open Oskin’s abdomen in an effort to remove her unborn baby.

Ms Oskin and the baby survived after a boy spotted the women in a clearing and told his father, who summoned police to the scene.

The baby was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and was put up for adoption, which had been Oskin’s intention before she was attacked.

Conner initially had been charged with two counts of attempted murder, but prosecutors withdrew the charge that alleged Conner intended to kill the unborn baby.