Let’s start by demolishing an abortion myth, shall we? I am not an Ob/Gyn, but I can look one up on the Internet.
First a little background: As most of you probably know by now, the strictest anti-abortion laws proposed have included not only restrictions on ending ectopic pregnancies, but recommendations to “reimplant the embryo in the uterus”. Even the Heritage Foundation’s (a conservative unthink tank, quoted here as illustrative, not to be taken seriously) attempt to “set the record straight on ectopic pregnancies” includes such contradictory waffle words as:
Treating an ectopic pregnancy is different from having an abortion. Abortion is an intentional, unnatural procedure that kills the baby in the womb. An ectopic procedure, in contrast, attempts to save the life of both mother and unborn child. A number of treatment options are available, but each seeks to separate the embryo from the fallopian tubes.
Since abortion has been the cheap and easy option for so long, improvements in women’s health have not kept up with science. Medical technology is not able to reimplant the embryo in the uterus, saving the life of the baby. A miscarriage is tragically inevitable.
Unlike abortion, the goal in an ectopic pregnancy is to save the life of the baby. Bold, state-level protections for life will likely lead to innovations in ectopic care in the near future.
Whut? So there is no way to save the “baby,” but the goal is to save the “baby”?
We’ve all repeated the “you can’t reimplant an ectopic pregnancy” line, but do you know why? Explanations, I think, help when we’re talking with people who are conflicted in whether or not abortion laws should be upheld.
Welp, such a topic can quickly get hopelessly lost in medical jargon, but I found an explanation from knowledgeable sources that makes sense to this layperson. From the BMJ (British Medical Journal) blog (Daniel Grossman and Yanett Anaya, both Ob/Gyns and professors at UC-San Francisco): Bolding mine:
Unfortunately, ectopic transplantation does not exist. Many patients with an ectopic pregnancy are devastated when they learn that their pregnancy will not be able to continue. They ask if anything can be done to save their baby and, with much remorse, we have to tell them that the answer is no.
After fertilisation occurs in the fallopian tube, a developing embryo travels to the uterus for possible implantation. However, successful implantation requires that both the uterine lining is receptive and that a 5 day old embryo is competent. These two synchronised events are precisely regulated, as this cross-talk between embryo and uterus can only occur during a brief period, referred to as the “window of implantation.” After that, the endometrium is no longer hospitable to a developing pregnancy. Furthermore, extracting a developing pregnancy from its implantation site would be so disruptive as to cause irreparable damage, and the embryo would not continue to grow. Given the complexity of human implantation, we do not have the technology to transplant a developing pregnancy from the fallopian tube, where the majority of ectopics implant, and reimplant the pregnancy in the uterus.
-snip-
Only in the area of pregnancy termination would legislators with no medical training be allowed to write laws that advocate for unproven treatments. It is worth noting that patients having an abortion are disproportionately black, Hispanic, or Asian; black women are also more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy—and to die from it. These laws push patients to participate in unmonitored experiments, which is concerning given the history of medical experimentation on black and Hispanic people in the US. From the Tuskegee Study of untreated syphilis to J Marion Sims’s surgical experimentation on enslaved women to the testing of high dose oral contraceptives on Puerto Rican women, black and Hispanic people have been the victims of unethical medical experiments that caused them serious harm. We should be wary of repeating this dark past….
So if your pro-forced-birth “friends” ask why doctors keep insisting that what seems so doable in our imaginations is not in fact doable in reality, now you know what to tell them. Also, everyone involved is unhappy with this outcome, so if there IS a way to stimulate an embryo to reimplant, I’m sure that day will come. That, of course, requires research funds. And those, of course, are opposed by the very same forced-birth crowd. Medical research is just fine with the GOP as long as it doesn’t cost money!
In Other News
More Abortion Stories
Alexandra Petri on anti-choicers in Kansas: “Whoops, we forgot women could vote!”
Also in KS: You may remember Aaron Coleman, who was elected to the Kansas State House at age 19 as a “progressive,” then turned out to have a history of domestic violence and revenge porn. After being arrested twice during his term, Coleman lost his primary this week to newcomer Melissa Oropeza. (Actually he came in third, behind another woman, Faith Rivera.)
The biggest happy surprise of the week- Pro Choice voters send 'Value them Both' down to defeat in Kansas! Considering the confusion over what the bill actually said, this is some good studying it, KS!
Biden signs second executive order to protect US abortion access: “The directive equips the Health and Human Services department to expand coverage for patients seeking out of state care”
The Justice Department sues Idaho over its abortion ban, citing ‘medical emergency’ violation: “In its first legal move to protect abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit arguing Idaho’s abortion ban is unconstitutional.” Go get ‘em, DOJ!
‘We Were Forced’: Abortion Clinics Move Across State Lines to Stay Open
medscape Dozens of of University of Michigan medical students walked out of their white coat [new med student welcome] ceremony Sunday as assistant professor Kristin Collier, MD 's keynote speech began. A Twitter video of the walkout went viral, with over 9.5 million views by presstime. More than 340 medical students had petitioned to oppose the selection of the speaker based upon her anti-abortion views.
Crime and Punishment
On Monday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for (a paltry) 6 games, after being accused by 30 women in Texas of sexual misconduct during massage treatments- in what a disciplinary officer said was behavior “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.”
Then on Wednesday, the NFL (rightfully) appealed the 6 game suspension, “seeking a tougher penalty under the league's personal conduct policy”.
This petition to Commissioner Roger Goodell demanding that Watson be suspended indefinitely, notes (bolding mine):
The punishment pales in comparison to the season-long suspensions recently handed out to Calvin Ridley (gambling) and Josh Gordon (weed); Judge Robinson’s decision is even more inexplicable since she found Watson guilty of sexual assault and posing a danger to the safety of others.
And a new development in the case of Brittney Griner (the WNBA star being detained in Russia for having a small amount of cannabis oil for personal use, covered in previous WOW diaries): she’s been sentenced to an outrageous NINE YEARS in prison. She is appealing, and Biden continues to work toward her release outside the court system.
Australia
Opinion: The deaths of Aboriginal women must spark outrage – and change: Indigenous women are not afforded the respect that many other victims of violence rightly receive. We all must act.
Aboriginal women face racism and sexism at every turn. The implicit messages they receive from the systems that are supposed to keep us all safe and supported, from the media and from the broader community, is that they are not worthy of safety and equality.
Football!
Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes women's impact:
The “Women’s Impact on Football” exhibit debuted ahead of this week’s enshrinement festivities. It features artifacts from women who have played, coached, officiated and broadcast the game at its highest level.
“There’s [sic] a lot of women involved in pro football and we wanted to recognize their contributions and tell their stories,” said Ben Ankrum, assistant curator at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “We’ve had other exhibits featuring women in pro football and it got to the point where we could do something larger and more permanent.”
volunteerism
Volunteers Step Up For Women’s Shelter, After Construction Hits A Snag:
Construction of a new women’s shelter in Jamestown [NY] has hit a roadblock after crews discovered more asbestos than they were anticipating, hiking the final price tag for the project. However, volunteers are now coming forward to help raise money.
-snip-
Using social media, volunteers have had success raising money from everyday people via a special fundraising webpage alaeq.com/ucan.
When complete, the new shelter would provide 85 beds specifically for women and children, helping them escape unsafe motels with crime, drugs, and sex trafficking.
Tribute to Nichelle Nichols
The first black actress to appear on TV as a future commanding officer (Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek) in the 1960s, she gave hope to many who could see themselves in the future for the first time. She recruited for NASA, and also used her stardom to agitate for women’s rights and black rights. She passed away last Saturday, July 30, 2022, at age 89. She had struggled for years with dementia and questions regarding the intentions of her caregivers, but the cause of death has been stated to be heart failure.
Woman in Motion
In 1975, Nichols established Women in Motion Inc. and won several government contracts to produce educational programs related to space and science. By 1977, she had been appointed to the board of directors of the National Space Institute, a civil space advocacy organization.
That year she gave a speech at the institute’s annual meeting. In it, she critiqued the lack of women and minorities in the astronaut corps, challenging NASA to “come down from your ivory tower of intellectual pursuit, because the next Einstein might have a Black face – and she’s female.”
-snip-
Nichols’ campaign recruited several trailblazing astronauts, including Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, Guion Bluford, the first African American in space, and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space....
More Than "Just Uhura":Understanding Star Trek's Lt. Uhura, Civil Rights, and Space History by Margaret A. Weitekamp, at repository.si.edu.
Thank you, Ms. Nichols — it was a pleasure to watch you work!
As always, this column is a group effort! Many thanks to mettle fatigue, Tara (the Antisocial Social Worker), and SandraLLAP for links and discussion behind the scenes!
Also as always, I will be late as I need to take care of Mom. Please discuss amongst yourselves and I’ll jump in later tonight!