The Trump GOP has a harder time demonizing women who miscarry than vilifying those who have abortions. Addressing miscarriage is therefore essential to building support for reproductive freedom.
When the physician has to pay attention to the falsely named “heartbeat” of the embryo or fetus, what happens to the pregnant woman?
The best example of what happens to woman having a stalled miscarriage is that of Savita Halappanavar, a practicing dentist, whose horrible experience in an Galway hospital galvanized the fight for reproductive freedom in Ireland (a predominately Catholic nation), leading to a landslide victory (66.4 to 33.6%) for making abortion legal
On Oct. 21, 2012, Savita Halappanavar, 17 weeks pregnant, presented at University Hospital Galway complaining of back pain. She was discharged without diagnosis, but returned later that same day, saying that she felt lower pressure this time examination showed that the gestational sac was protruding from her body. It was determined that miscarriage, and death of the fetus, was unavoidable, and she was admitted to the hospital. Her water broke, but still she did not expel the fetus. She died early in the morning of Oct 28, having been continuously denied an abortion. Finally her body was able to expel the fetus. By that time that her sepsis was irreversible and she soon died.
So why did the doctors prioritize the fetal heartbeat over the health, and even life, of the pregnant woman. Self-interest would appear to be a major reason. At the time of Savita’s death, Ireland’s punishment for committing an abortion was life in prison. As far as I can tell, allowing Savita to slip into death through negligence has had no criminal consequences for the hospital and the health officials involved, though Savita’s husband later won an undisclosed amount in a civil suit.
Unfortunately, similar outrageous outcomes are set to play out all over the United States. Wherever there is a heartbeat (misnomer) law, now in at least 10 U.S. states, there will be mistreatment of miscarriage. The medical staff will put their focus on the electrical activity of the embryo or fetus, which has the power to send them to prison. A possible increase in malpractice insurance is a small price to pay.
Focus on miscarriage exposes the lie that outlawing abortion never affects well-off individuals. Unless you have immediate access to a jumbo jet, a miscarriage puts anyone in real danger.