CrimeTexasHoustonCatherine Herring

Texas Attorney Who Drugged Wife's Drinks To Induce Abortion Sentenced

Mason Herring pleaded guilty Wednesday to injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. He had initially been charged with felony assault to induce abortion.
AP

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man who drugged his wife’s drinks in an attempt to induce an abortion was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years on probation.

Mason Herring, a 39-year-old Houston attorney, pleaded guilty Wednesday to injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. He had initially been charged with felony assault to induce abortion.

Catherine Herring, who has filed for divorce, told the court the jail sentence was not long enough. She said their 1-year-old daughter, their third child, was born about 10 weeks premature, has developmental delays and attends therapy eight times a week.

“I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times,” Catherine Herring said.

Catherine Herring told authorities her husband in March 2022 began lecturing her on hydration and offering water. She said she became severely ill after drinking from the first cup that appeared cloudy, which her husband explained was perhaps the result of the cup or water pipes being dirty.

Catherine Herring became suspicious and began refusing multiple other drinks her husband offered. She later found in the trash packaging for a drug that contains misoprostol, a medicine used to induce abortion.

She also gave police videos from hidden cameras she installed at her home where her husband was no longer living. One of them showed him mixing a substance in one of her drinks, Catherine Herring said.

Mason Herring’s attorney, Dan Codgell, called the plea deal and sentence reasonable.

“It’s a sad situation and Mason has accepted his responsibility,” Cogdell said.

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Before You Go

GOP Candidates Opposing Abortion In Cases Of Rape, Incest
Nevada Senate Candidate Sharron Angle(01 of07)
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In June, conservative radio show host Alan Stock asked Sharron Angle, "Where do you stand on the issue of abortion, a consensual abortion, from a person who is raped or is pregnant as a result of incest?" Angle replied, "Well right now our law permits that. My own personal feelings and that is always what I express, my personal feeling is that we need to err on the side of life." She then added that "two wrongs don't make a right," and said a young girl who had been raped by her father should think about making "a lemon situation into lemonade" by having her baby and either raising it or giving it up for adoption. In another interview justifying her belief that women who have been raped or victims or incest should not have access to abortion, Angle said, "God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives and that he can intercede in all kinds of situations and we need to have a little faith in many things."
Colorado Senate Nominee Ken Buck(02 of07)
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Ken Buck has said that he believes abortion should be an option when a mother's life is at risk -- but that's it: "I don't believe in the exceptions of rape or incest. I believe that the only exception, I guess, is life of the mother. And that is only if it's truly life of the mother. To me, you can't say you're pro-life and say -- if there is, and it's a very rare situation where one life would have to cease for the other life to exist. But in that very rare situation, we may have to take the life of the child to save the life of the mother."Buck previously said that if elected, he would introduce a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions. He has since changed his mind, saying he would back such a measure but would not introduce one. He also earlier answered a questionnaire saying he would never confirm "pro-abortion" candidates for any government jobs but has since drawn "a distinction between pro-choice and pro-abortion candidates, saying he would have no 'litmus test' preventing pro-choice candidates from Senate confirmation."
Georgia Gubernatorial Nominee Nathan Deal(03 of07)
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Nathan Deal supports abortions only when the life of a mother is at risk. Deal received the endorsement of Georgia Right to Life, which refused to endorse his primary opponent because she supported abortion exceptions for rape and incest. Deal also signed a pledge attesting to his agreement with the group's position.
Delaware Senate Nominee Christine O'Donnell(04 of07)
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On her campaign website, Christine O'Donnell states that she "[s]trongly believes in protecting the sanctity of lifeat ALL stages." She has repeatedlysaid she opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest. She has, however, also condemned the use of condemns, calling them "anti-human." "And what...if the population is increasing, so what?” O’Donnell said in a 2006 interview on Fox News. “People aren't bad. When did humans become a bad thing? Why is it that we have to, you know, stop people from getting pregnant?”
Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Brady(05 of07)
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Bill Brady received significant criticism earlier this year for his belief that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape and incest, and since that time, he has tried to back away from those views. In August, he assured voters that his power in that area is limited. During a speech at a senior citizens group in Springfield, an attendee asked him how his positions would affect social security agencies that do support abortion. “Yes, I am pro-life,” Brady said. “But really, if you look at the makeup of the letter of the law, there’s very little that the governor can do.”
Kentucky Senate Nominee Rand Paul(06 of07)
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Rand Paul has refused to say that he supports access to abortion for women who have been the victims of rape or incest. In an interview with the Middlesboro Daily News earlier this year, he said he supports exceptions to his belief that "it’s a mistake to legislate morality and health from the state" when the life of a mother is at risk. But when asked about rape and incest, Paul said that women should be responsible for "family planning" and the "morning-after pill: "In cases of rape, trying to prevent pregnancies is obviously the best thing. The morning-after pill works successfully most of the time. Ultimately we do better if we do have better education about family planning."
New York Gubernatorial Candidate Carl Paladino(07 of07)
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In a Sept. 15 interview with CNN's Rick Sanchez, Carl Paladino said unequivocally that women should not be able to have an abortion even in cases of rape and incest. "Should a woman have a right to have an abortion if she's -- if she's been raped?" Sanchez asked. "No," replied Paladino. When he asked about cases of incest, Paladino said, "The baby can be adopted."
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