Residents of 10 states will vote on Tuesday election measures on abortionhalf of which will remove existing restrictions. In the weeks leading up to an election in which access to abortion is a major issue, many reports have emerged of the life-threatening consequences of tough abortion laws.
ProPublica reported last week two Texas women died after facing delays in receiving abortion care due to the state’s abortion ban. ProPublica’s coverage It was linked to two deaths in September Abortion ban in Georgia.
In response to the latest reports, a group of OB-GYNs wrote an open letter to Texas officials and politicians saying the two women who died — Josseli Barnica, 28, and Nevaeh Crain, 18 — should still be alive.
“The nature of the strict abortion ban in Texas prevents us from doing our jobs as medical professionals,” they said. “The law doesn’t allow Texas women to get the lifesaving care they need.”
Texas and Georgia are not among the 10 states with ballot measures that would protect or expand abortion rights. But reproductive rights advocates have told stories about the consequences of abortion bans resonates with voters anywhere in the country.
“Every time a voter had an opportunity to protect access to abortion through the ballot, they did it,” said Sara Tabatabaie, executive director of Voice Pro-Choice, a pro-abortion political advocacy group.
Barnica died of an infection in 2021 after doctors waited to end her miscarriage until she had no detectable heartbeat, according to ProPublica, which said it reviewed hospital and autopsy records and met with her family. Barnica died days after the state law, known as SB 8, went into effect, effectively banning abortion care after about six weeks of pregnancy when a fetal heartbeat is detected.
After the law was implemented, the number of Texas women who died during pregnancy or childbirth, or shortly after giving birth, increased dramatically. This was reported by NBC News.
In 2022, after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, a stricter ban went into effect in Texas, banning all abortions except to save the woman’s life or prevent “substantial impairment of an essential bodily function.” Based on what ProPublica described as a review of 800 pages of her medical records, Crain’s death was linked to the ban because she also failed to receive care in time for her miscarriage. According to ProPublica, Crain developed an infection and became septic. NBC News has not independently confirmed the circumstances of Crain’s or Barnica’s death.
Christus Southeast Texas St. who treated Crain. Elizabeth Hospital said it “believes the care provided to this patient was appropriate and compassionate at all times.” HCA Healthcare, the hospital chain where Barnica was treated, said it “remains focused on providing the best possible care to our patients” and that doctors “use their extensive training and experience to exercise independent medical judgment.”
Amy O’Donnell, director of communications for the Texas Alliance for Life, said ProPublica’s report was “misinformation.”
“Monthly data show that doctors in Texas rarely performed life-saving abortions when the mother’s life was at risk or there was a risk of significant impairment of essential bodily functions,” he said. said in the statement.
Regarding deaths in Georgia, ProPublica reported in September Amber Thurman, 28, experienced a rare complication in 2022 after taking the abortion pill, but was unable to receive medical attention in time because of Georgia’s abortion ban after a heartbeat was detected. that year, Candi Miller, 41, did not consult a doctor According to ProPublica, she died due to concerns over Georgia’s abortion law and later developed complications while administering an abortion at home. ProPublica said it obtained state coroner’s reports on each patient’s death, reviewed medical and autopsy records and spoke with their families. NBC News has not independently confirmed the details of these reports.
Jaylen Black, vice president of marketing communications for Planned Parenthood Southeast, which operates health centers in Georgia, said the stories are unfortunately not surprising and the additional deaths are likely going unreported.
“This is real life. Mothers lost their lives. Because of our state’s ban on abortion, their children are now growing up without a mother,” said Black.
However, Dr. Ingrid Scope, vice president and medical director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, an anti-abortion rights group, blamed the deaths in Georgia and Texas on “substandard care and fear-mongering.”
“As an OB-GYN currently practicing in Texas, the quality of care I provide has not changed since the state of Texas passed its law, nor has the law prevented me from providing emergency care to my patients,” Scope said.
Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota have the most effective abortion measures on state ballots because they could repeal existing restrictions on abortion.
Missouri and South Dakota laws are the strictest, banning almost all abortions. Florida bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, while Nebraska’s restrictions apply to abortions after 12 weeks and Arizona’s after 15, each with limited exceptions.
“Floridians have a real challenge ahead of them to get 60% of the vote,” said Tabatabaie of Vote Pro-Choice, referring to the threshold of support the state’s abortion ballot measure needs to pass.
He added that his organization is optimistic about the chances of many of the initiatives: “We’re feeling pretty good heading into Election Day.”