Following strong public outcry, officials on Wednesday dropped the murder charges against Kenlissa Jones, the 23-year-old Georgia mother who on Saturday was arrested for allegedly self-inducing an abortion.

"Jones had been charged by the Albany Police Department for the offense of malice murder," the Dougherty County district attorney, Greg Edwards, said in a statement. "However, this morning, I dismissed that malice murder warrant after thorough legal research by myself and my staff led to the conclusion that Georgia law presently does not permit prosecution of Ms Jones for any alleged acts relating to the end of her pregnancy."

According to local news WALB, Jones will still be charged with a misdemeanor for possession of a dangerous drug for obtaining the abortion drug Cytotec allegedly from a Canadian source.

Advocates say that Jones' case illustrates the limited choices women are given as states increasingly slash health funding and criminalize reproductive rights.

"It is shocking each and every time we see an attempt to deny pregnant women their human rights and to treat them and the fact that they are pregnant as a crime rather than a public health issue," said Lynn Paltrow, an attorney and the executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women.