Anonymous wrote:A dilation & curettage procedure to remove a miscarried fetus is not an abortion as the baby already died. Removing a live or dead baby using this method is radically different as one kills a human being. This is a common practice after miscarriage that is moral to do.
Miscarriage is what she had.
The medical term for a miscarriage is a spontaneous abortion. When women have a D&C, it’s because of an incomplete spontaneous abortion. Abortion is outlawed, even if you call it a D&C. And BTW, the teen slut who comes in for an abortion of an unwanted baby also gets a D&C. Words matter.
I had two live births, an early miscarriage that did not require intervention and a an abortion to remove an ectopic pregnancy- where the heart was beating as the tube ruptured and I hemorrhages internally. The last thing I remember is a surgeon sprinting at full speed at midnight as I passed out. Lost the tube. Almost died. My gyn records say 2 live births, 1 miscarriage, 1 abortion. OTOH, my Cataholic mother insists surgical removal of an ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion. But many Catholic hospitals refused to perform the procedure or prescribe medication to terminate an ectopic pregnancy— even beforeoDobbs. These hospitals compnsider them to be abortions.
It’s a confusing mess.
The ONLY exception in Arkansas is to save the life of the mother.
https://www.abortionfinder.org/abortion-guides-by-state/abortion-in-arkansas
Fetal demise or inevitable death are NOT allowable exceptions. Jesse said the heart had stopped, but she had minimal bleeding and there was no mention of sepsis. She should have had to remain pregnant and trst in God’s plan for her, until she had a spontaneous miscarriage or her life was in imminent danger because of hemorrhage or sepsis. Yep, hosting a dead fetus sucks, BUT THIS IS WHAT SHE AND HER FAMILY VOTED FOR. Arkansas could have broadened the law to make it more compassionate and less dangerous for women, and they decided not to. It’s not one standard for Jesse and another for a black teen carrying a dead fetus.
As my Catholic mother wold say, “offer it up” Not because I’m a monster, but because she should be held to the same standard as every other woman in her state. I think she should be arrested and tried, along with the doctors and he spouse and and parents who helped her procure an abortion. She would never end up in jail, and I don’t think she should. But hopefully, more care would be taken in drafting these laws so that the exceptions are clear and there is a very high burden of proof and women and doctors have some latitude in situations like Jessas.
As one commentator said, she could never have gone that abortion if she want famous. But, that hurts every woman who isn’t famous. Jesse’s ability to bait when her life isn’t in danger makes every other woman in Arkansas think that option would be available for them too.
I’m an Administrative Lawyer who deals with reams of medical records. I used to work for municipal entities. And there have been a lot of articles about how hospital attorneys, physical attorneys, municipal attorney and/or prosecutors are making these life and death decisions. Because there is no guidance as to how close to death a woman needs to be to qualify for an abortion. Jessa adidn’t qualify, when she had her abortion, because she could have waited and had the fetus deliver spontaneously. But if she started bleeding regularly, how much blood loss puts her life in danger. Infection can be treated with antibiotics. How bad does the infection need to be? How sick to we have to let healthy women become before we perform a procedure that’s always was going to need to be done. Right now, Lawyers are making these decisions in many cases because the laws are vague and physicians don’t want to risk jail and losing their license.
If all hell is breaking loose in an emergency situation, you really want Doctor’s standing around, while a lawyer reads the medical records, maybe consults with a colleague, and writes a rationale, to make sure everything is properly documented. Because you need more than a life threatening emergency. You need the tests and imaging and rationale and documentation to be airtight before the procedure. Meanwhile, there is a woman dying.