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Speaking to Jezebel, she said that talking about Ivy’s diagnosis “is giving her death meaning,” and “helping other women not feeling alienated and alone, that they made the best decision for themselves and their children.”
Perry, who had looked forward to being a mother, experienced a traumatic pregnancy after discovering at an 18-week anatomy scan that her child had a rare fetal anomaly with no cure.
Unfortunately for Perry, the options she had for the complications became limited after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling. Within days of the Dobbs decision, South Carolina banned abortion at six weeks gestation—12 to 16 weeks before conditions like hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) can even be detected. While exceptions to the ban included rape, incest, or the life of the mother, no exceptions for fetal anomalies existed.
At 18 weeks pregnant, Perry, who was “born and raised Republican” and had never considered an abortion, had to face the reality that her child would “never heal.” After another echocardiogram at 22 weeks, it was confirmed that her child had HLHS and aortic atresia, in addition to a growing list of diagnoses.
“You can be a Republican Christian and still be pro-choice, because it’s compassion and empathy and giving the benefit of the doubt to the human that is going through this, that they have prayed and done the best thing that they knew to do for their child or for themselves,” Perry told Jezebel.
But when she and her husband decided to end the pregnancy, at least 43 abortion clinics had closed.
“To be forced to carry to full term, knowing your child isn’t going to make it, is so cruel. I know what that was like, because I did it for two weeks, and I couldn’t imagine doing it for another few months,” Perry told Jezebel.
Unable to get the health services she needed in the state she was in, she then had to travel 537 miles away to get the abortion she needed.
“That was the hardest day I have ever experienced in my whole life, but it was also the most peaceful day of my whole life,” Perry said in a video.
Perry’s abortion was less than two months ago. Now she is working with Democrats to help people like Joe Cunningham, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate fro South Carolina, get elected. Cunningham is challenging current Gov. Henry McMasters, who has not only supported an abortion ban but has talked about his support for a ban against same-sex marriage.
“Humans have to hear this story. It’s a humanity issue,” Perry said in her video.
Others too have shared their stories, including a teen who underwent an abortion.
At long last, the 2022 midterms are almost here! With the battle for the House front and center, we give you a window into the key races on a final pre-election episode of
The Downballot. We discuss a wide range of contests that will offer insight into how the night is going, including top GOP pickup opportunities, second-tier Republican targets, and the seats where Democrats are on offense. And with many vote tallies likely to stretch on for some time, we also identify several bellwether races in states that count quickly.