Four women who were denied abortions in Idaho -- which has a nearly total abortion ban-- tearfully testified on Tuesday in a case that seeks to clarify medical exceptions. They testified about their nonviable pregnancies as part of a lawsuit filed by women who were unable to receive abortions due to Idaho's total ban. Trump, who overturned Roe, received 66.9% of votes for the presidential election in the state.
ABC News reports:
Rebecca Vincen-Brown tearfully described delivering her pregnancy in the bathroom of a hotel room after she drove seven hours to receive abortion care in Portland, Oregon. She passed her pregnancy after the first day of her two-day abortion procedure, with her other child in the next room, she testified on the stand.
Vincen-Brown, who was pregnant with her second child, discovered at a 16-week anatomy scan that her fetus had several fatal fetal conditions and was unlikely to survive. Doctors also told her that there were risks to her life and health -- including preeclampsia, hemorrhaging, high risk of miscarrying and risks to her fertility -- if she continued carrying the pregnancy.
The second woman:
Jillaine St.Michel, also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, described making calls to over 20 clinics out of state to get abortion care after she received a fatal fetal diagnosis.
"It was the worst four days of my life. I can't describe it any other way. Knowing that I was carrying a pregnancy that was doomed, it had no chance of survival. Each day was worse than the last. And I would say, during those four days, my mental health got progressively worse and worse," St.Michel said.
At her 20-week ultrasound, St.Michel was told her fetus had several severe developmental and chromosomal conditions affecting multiple organ systems and was unlikely to survive. She traveled to Seattle, where she received a two-day abortion procedure.
The third woman:
At a routine ultrasound appointment around 19 weeks of pregnancy, Kayla Smith discovered her fetus had several anomalies, including several heart defects. Specialists informed Smith and her husband that their son, at best, would need a heart transplant before the age of 4 or 5, but that would only be a temporary solution for around 10 years.
Due to some of the heart defects, his pulmonary veins were not flowing properly and that could directly impact his lungs, Smith testified.
"If I were to continue the pregnancy, not only would I be risking my life of developing preeclampsia, but I was not willing to watch him suffer and essentially gasp for air," Smith said.
Smith and her husband drove over eight hours to the University of Washington Hospital to get an induction. They were given an estimate of $16,000 to $20,000 for the cost of the procedure.
They took out a personal loan to cover the cost of the procedure, Smith testified.
Smith, her husband and two children moved their family to Washington. They plan to stay there if the abortion bans in Idaho remain in effect.
The fourth woman:
Jennifer Adkins was forced to travel out of state to terminate a pregnancy that was unlikely to survive after it was diagnosed with multiple conditions.
At a 12-week ultrasound, Adkins' doctors told her the scan revealed the fetus had excess fluid and skin edema -- signs of cystic hygroma -- and that her fetus likely had Turner syndrome -- a rare condition that results from one of the X chromosomes missing.
Adkins was told her fetus would likely not survive, and there was a high likelihood that she would develop Mirror syndrome, a condition where the pregnant person develops fluid buildup and can develop preeclampsia, which can result in stroke or death.
All I can suggest is that if you are a woman in a state with an abortion ban, get the hell out of there. Republicans consider women to be merely vessels to produce children, regardless if their lives are at risk. As a biologically childless cat lady, we need to unfuck what Republicans, including Trump, have done to us. It will take time, but we'll get there. Meanwhile, women and friends of women will continue to suffer under the new administration.
Because this is unacceptable:
