Women should have bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom no matter the reason. Full stop. And so I usually shy away from those stories that focus on the more extreme reasons for the need to have abortion legalized. This right should not be limited to the extremes, and framing it that way limits the possibilities for justice. And yet many of these stories can remind of us exactly the depth of brutality brought forth by the post-Dobbs world. I listened to the story, A couple’s Journey with Abortion, produced by Michigan Radio’s Stateside on my drive home from work yesterday. It brought me to tears and reminded me of how angry I remain about the Dobbs ruling (well, I really did not need to be reminded as I remain angry). It was about a couple, from Michigan, who learned at 19.5 weeks that their baby had anencephaly. This is "a birth defect resulting in an underdeveloped brain and an incomplete skull. If delivered, the child would be missing part of their head, and would likely die within a few hours.” Given the state’s law on fetal heartbeats disallowing hospital abortions, and the impending 24 week national aboration ban, the couple was left with few choices. They ended up having to go a clinic where the abortion could be performed, but it would be without anesthesia (and related medications due to it being in a clinic setting) and over two days. The woman's (Erin) husband was not allowed to be present with her, and insurance would not pick up the tab. Erin also had to endure anti-abortion videos and messaging before the procedure.
The part that really stood out was when Erin talked about this point I mentioned above:
Because the baby had a heartbeat, and Erin's life wasn't in danger, no hospital could perform the abortion, which also meant she would not be able to receive general anesthesia. And because the pregnancy was at 20 weeks, they could no longer go to Planned Parenthood. With limited options, they found an independent clinic that would perform the abortion over two days, with Erin awake for all of it. “It was honestly torture,” Erin said of the abortion procedure. “No human being should have to go through that kind of procedure wide awake and feeling everything.”
Listening to Erin describe what it was like to have to go through this experience without anesthesia and in her words, “the worst pain of her life” is yet another reminder of how profoundly unjust, discompassionate and dystopian this post-Dobbs world is for women. Could you imagine one of these anti-choice men going through a painful medical procedure without proper pain management?
You can read the overview of the story at Michigan Radio but the audio version is much better. Here in Michigan, we have proposal 3, which if passes, will enshrine abortion rights into our state constitution. I thought the story did a good job of bringing some points into public view that might sway people on the fence. If you know someone in Michigan who needs some swaying this could be a good story to share.