A Nebraska teenager who slit her newborn son’s throat after giving birth in secret has been sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison
The terrible case is a reminder of the disregard for human life that abortion exacerbates.
Chloe Coplen-Anderson, now 18, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the November 2023 death of her infant, an act that shocked the small community of Gordon.
Police were called to a home in Gordon, Nebraska after getting a report that a newborn baby was not breathing. The police report indicates the officer met the girl’s father at the door and was told “it’s too late.”
The officer found a teen girl squatting inside a bedroom and the girls’ mother was holding a newborn baby wrapped in a towel. The girl’s mother was crying hysterically crying and told the officer “she hurt him,” and said “you can see the marks.”
The officer observed that the baby’s throat had been slit or cut and the child had multiple stab wounds in his chest. The girls’ parents said they saw their daughter with a knife but the knife was missing at the time the baby was discovered.
Sheridan County District Court Judge Travis O’Gorman handed down the sentence Thursday, ensuring Coplen-Anderson will be at least 51 before she is eligible for release. The case, detailed in court documents, revealed a grim scene: the newborn suffered a severed windpipe and multiple stab wounds to the chest, inflicted moments after birth in the teen’s bedroom.
According to a Gordon Police Department report, officers responded to Coplen-Anderson’s home after her father claimed the baby was stillborn. However, her mother identified the teen as the killer, leading to the discovery of a blood-smeared bedroom and a knife hidden in a closet. The teen, then 16, had concealed her pregnancy, a factor her attorney, Todd Lancaster, cited as a mitigating circumstance.
Lancaster argued that Coplen-Anderson was 15 when impregnated by a 19-year-old, constituting statutory rape under Nebraska law. He also presented evidence of her mental health struggles, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and noted that no adults had intervened to support her during her pregnancy. Despite these claims, the court prioritized the gravity of the crime.
The sentencing has sparked debate on social media, with some X posts calling it justice for the infant, while others questioned whether the teen’s age and circumstances warranted leniency.
This was a deliberate act against a defenseless child who deserved protection. This tragedy highlights why we must support both mothers and their babies and ban abortions so people understand babies need protecting.
Nebraska’s pro-life laws, strengthened since the 2022 Dobbs decision, include measures to support pregnant women through pregnancy resource centers and expanded social services. Advocates argue that such programs could prevent similar tragedies by offering counseling, medical care, and adoption options.
Coplen-Anderson, who has spent two years in custody, will serve her sentence at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women. Her legal team has not indicated whether they will appeal.
