Tampa: The 28-year-old son of a Florida fertility doctor has been charged by federal authorities with tricking his girlfriend into taking a pill used to induce labour and cause an abortion, killing the fetus she was carrying.

John Andrew Welden was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of product tampering and first-degree murder and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the murder charge. He's also the defendant in a lawsuit filed in state court by his ex-girlfriend, 26-year-old Remee Lee.

John Andrew Welden Credit:NBC

"Whenever a woman is robbed of her ability to give birth and have a child, I don't think there's any greater harm you can cause somebody," said Ms Lee's attorney, Gil Sanchez. "She's devastated. She still can't believe this happened to her."

David Weisbrod, who represented Mr Welden in the first federal court appearance Wednesday, declined to comment. During a court hearing on Wednesday, Mr Weisbrod characterised his client's actions as aberrant but said Mr Welden had no criminal history. A US magistrate judge ordered him held without bond.