A married school superintendent in Texas has been suspended after allegedly assaulting his pregnant mistress when she refused to abort their child. The school board has also been accused of covering up the incident.

Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez has been accused of violent conduct and intimidation by his mistress of three years. Azaiez, it has been claimed, boasted that the school board would protect him.

So far, Azaiez has not been charged, though it is said he sought to protect his career and reputation by coercing his mistress into an abortion.

Round Rock Independent School District, where the incident is supposed to have taken place, has been rocked by the allegations. An investigation is currently underway.

The unnamed mistress accused Azaiez of rough and manipulative behaviour. “He was very worried about the possibility of losing his job… He asked me to have an abortion so he would not lose his career and family. I was very upset at this, and I said no to an abortion and told him that I had made up my mind to have the child…

“He said this child was a mistake and so was I, he wanted nothing to do with this child, he did not want it.”

Azaiez is also said to have told his mistress that “he was in a position of power… No one would believe me if I said he was the father and that he would tell everyone I was crazy and make me look crazy.”

Eventually, Azaiez went to his mistress’s home and assaulted her. The mistress says that she then developed bleeding and was informed by doctors that she might miscarry. The status of the child is currently unknown. 

While Azaiez has not been charged, it is now reported that he has reached a settlement with his mistress.

Coercion has “catastrophic” consequences

SPUC’s Michael Robinson, Executive Director (Public Affairs and Legal Services), said: “Coercion and abortion often go hand in hand. Each case is different, and the form of compulsion takes many forms, but the result is always catastrophic, for both the mother and her unborn child.

“Abortion serves abusive partners who, having used a woman, will not take responsibility for a pregnancy. Mothers may also be pressured by family, friends and employers who view pregnancy as a problem rather than what it really is – a gift.

“SPUC continues to highlight the plight of women who are coerced into abortion. One of the reasons why SPUC campaigned so vigorously against DIY abortion was because the scheme robbed vulnerable mothers of the few safeguards that remained to them.

“Last year, a poll commissioned by SPUC and Christian Concern found that 86% of GPs in Britain were concerned about the risk of women being coerced into an abortion under the Government’s DIY home policy, which, in England at least, is now set to be scrapped, as reported by SPUC.

“SPUC supporters can expect further campaigning on the issue of abortion and coercion this year. This is a vital issue that we cannot afford to ignore. We must protect mothers and their children.”