A Texas woman had to travel across the country for an abortion after she found out her fetus was developing without a skull or a brain. Texas' abortion laws make no exception for lethal fetal anomalies.
The protesters outside the Seattle abortion clinic waved pictures of bloody fetuses, shouting that she was a “baby killer” and begging her to choose life.
“I would always say, ‘What if it was necessary to save the life of the mother? Or in cases of rape or incest? Or what if the pregnancy wasn’t viable?’” she said. “And that was always the scenario I used to explain what a ban would do, and I never met a self-proclaimed conservative that doesn’t think those exceptions should be in place.”
After she got through the first trimester, Hall and her husband both heaved a sigh of relief and got to work telling their friends and family. Everyone was thrilled, buying them car seats and baby clothes.Hall shelled out thousands of dollars to abruptly travel out of state while grieving a lost pregnancy.Hall was in her second trimester when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v.
in which doctors waited to treat pregnancy complications until a patient’s health had deteriorated to the point that their life was in danger., a physician in Central Texas was instructed not to treat an ectopic pregnancy until it ruptured, which can cause serious medical complications.for misoprostol, which is used both to treat miscarriages and induce abortions.said there were “some things that we need to work on” to ensure patients can get treatment for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.
Many of these lethal fetal abnormalities come to light at an anatomy scan performed later in pregnancy. Hall was 18 weeks along when she went in for hers on a Friday afternoon. Hall’s entire vision of this pregnancy — giving birth, becoming a mom, watching her daughter grow up — evaporated in an instant. She was bereft, unable to even process the news. Her husband took over, asking the doctor what, if anything, they could do.
If she wanted to stay in Texas, Hall’s only choice was to continue with a pregnancy that would not yield a healthy, living baby. But that comes with the same significant risks that accompany a viable pregnancy, said Dr. CeCe Cheng, a high-risk OB-GYN in San Antonio. Cheng did not treat Hall, but has counseled patients facing similar situations.
“I was losing my mind,” Hall said. “I would consider what I experienced that weekend a medical emergency.” And surprisingly, both of their families sent money to help pay for the trip, despite their anti-abortion sentiments. Cheng, in San Antonio, said that even as she cautiously points her patients to their options out-of-state, she’s well aware that many of them struggle to even make it to their appointments in-state.
It’s also had to heighten security — since Roe was overturned, Sanchez said, the clinics have seen more — and more aggressive — protesters, including people from out-of-state like those Hall faced.