Officials: Mom got daughter abortion to hide rape

HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities have accused a Houston woman of getting an abortion for her adopted 12-year-old mentally disabled daughter in order to hide evidence of her son’s alleged sexual assault of the girl.

The woman is charged of tampering with evidence for taking her daughter to a clinic in Cleveland, where she had an abortion on Oct. 22.

Her 19-year-old son was indicted earlier this year on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

An attorney for the mother’s son says the woman got the abortion as a concerned parent and not because she was trying to protect her son.

The names of the accused are being withheld to protect the girl’s identity. The Associated Press doesn’t identify sexual assault victims.