Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban left a pregnant woman and her family with a difficult decision. Nancy Davis is 13 weeks pregnant with her second child. However, according to her interview with WAFB9, a fetus growing in her womb will not survive due to a rare medical condition. As a result, Nancy’s options include carrying a full-term fetus or traveling to a nearby state for a medical procedure.
“It’s hard to know that… you know… I’m going to bury it… you know what I’m talking about,” Nancy said.
The mother explained that her first ultrasound happened at ten weeks pregnant. But after the procedure at Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Nancy and her boyfriend, both excited about their new baby, learned its fate.
“It was an abnormal ultrasound, and they found the top of the baby’s head was missing and the skull was missing, the top of the skull was missing,” Nancy said. WAFB9.
Nancy Weight between abortion in another state or pregnancy to term
Nancy said her unborn baby was diagnosed with acrania. According to The Fetal Medicine Foundation, acrania is “A fatal condition with death within the first week of life.” Also, it’s a condition that affects “1 in 1,000 at 12 weeks gestation.”
Despite this prognosis, the state denied Nancy had an abortion. Acrania is not a condition listed under the Louisiana Department of Health’s eligibility criteria for abortion. The department released a list of situations in early August and an all-out exception for “profound and incurable” abnormalities incompatible with life, but two doctors had to sign it. Also, technically, her life is not in danger. So it’s a two-way denial of medical service.
Now, Nancy has about a week to decide if she will carry a full-term baby or go to another state that allows abortions. She’s pressed for time, as most states qualify for an abortion at 15 weeks. A doctor told her that she was going to take the baby for burial.
“Florida is the closest…so ideally Florida,” Nancy said. “But then the next closest place would be North Carolina or something.”
In the interview, Nancy did not identify as a pro or pro-life choice. However, she expressed that lawmakers should consider expanding the list of eligible conditions.
“I just want them to look at the special cases because it’s related to abortion… medical issues, like this is one of the issues that needs to be in there,” Nancy said.
