THE US state of Indiana has sentenced 33-year-old Purvi Patel to 20 years in prison on charges of foeticide — an act that causes the death of a foetus.

She is the first woman to be convicted of the crime in the US and the decision has ignited heated debate across the country.

Reproductive rights activists are outraged. They believe the sentencing of Ms. Patel highlights how US prosecutors are using laws designed to protect expecting mothers to criminalise women for terminating a pregnancy.

According to court documents, Ms. Patel was arrested in 2013 after seeking help in an emergency room for excessive bleeding, with an umbilical cord protruding from her vagina. Despite initially denying the pregnancy, Ms. Patel eventually admitted to medical authorities that she had a miscarriage and threw the stillborn foetus in a dumpster near her home.

After a police investigation uncovered the plastic bag with the foetus inside, Ms. Patel was charged.

According to local media, prosecutors argued that Patel gave birth to a live foetus and charged her with child neglect.

“What this conviction means is that anti-abortion laws will be used to punish pregnant women,” said Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director for National Advocates for Pregnant Women, during the trial.

The conservative state of Indiana has featured heavily in world media this week after the passing of religious freedom law that was seen to be heavily homophobic. But the foeticide conviction has caused another charged debate in the state. In the meantime, Patel’s defence team are expected to file an appeal.