Tennessee law prohibits women from having abortions in nearly all circumstances. But once the babies are here, the state provides little help. We followed one family as they struggled to make it.

In the midst of the turmoil in July 2022, they learned Mayron was pregnant again. But this time, doctors warned she and her fetus might not survive.

The embryo had been implanted in scar tissue from her recent cesarean section. There was a high chance that the embryo could rupture, blowing open her uterus and killing her, or that she could bleed to death during delivery. The baby could come months early and face serious medical risks, or even die.

Tennessee already had some of the worst outcomes in the nation when measuring maternal health, infant mortality and child poverty. Lawmakers who paved the way for a new generation of post-Roe births did little to bolster the state’s meager safety net to support these babies and their families.

  • IamSparticles@lemmy.zipEnglish
    0·
    9 months ago

    After her 10-hour shifts, Mayron visited Elayna as often as she could, sometimes sleeping in her car in the hospital’s parking garage.

    Oof. And keep in mind that they had another infant at home.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
    0·
    9 months ago

    Yup. Been saying this at about Shitty Christian Republicans for decades now.

    It’s fine, not fucking really, if you think your Shitty Christian beliefs says you want to ban abortion but fuck your hypocritical Shitty Christian ass when you don’t provide the mother and the fucking child you forced her to have the money and support to raise them.

  • jupyter_rain@discuss.tchncs.de
    0·
    9 months ago

    This was such a hard read, because the way the story was told always made me feel that with the right help, this family could get okay.

    • RedditWanderer@lemmy.world
      0·
      9 months ago

      The right help was abortion, because we sure as fuck know that there aren’t any fallbacks once born.

      People know this and take the responsible choice of terminating the pregnancy, except the “small conservative government” needs uneducated slaves.

  • Lath@kbin.social
    0·
    9 months ago

    The solution is obvious. Stop having heterosexual sex.

    Gay sex for everyone - the ultimate conservative goal!

  • THE MASTERMIND@feddit.ch
    0·
    9 months ago

    Fuck the people who pass these laws can’t they just do what they want based on their religeon and leave others the fuck alone

  • Ekybio@lemmy.world
    0·
    9 months ago

    Conservatives will see the cruelty and argue: “Well, this is sad, but it is worth in order to keep Society healthy and pure”.

    Its a lie. But admitting that would mean facing the prospect of being evil all along.

    So we all have to suffer instead.

      • PeterPoopshit@lemmy.world
        0·
        9 months ago

        Ask someone who actually supports this what they think. They’ll say something super fucktarded and out of touch like “I don’t see the problem. If people can’t handle the consequences, they shouldn’t be having sex”

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      0·
      9 months ago

      A lot of them also claim that it is interfering in god’s will to allow anyone an abortion. A raped 10-year-old- no abortion. A fetus that will only live for six hours after birth and be in agony the entire time- no abortion. The woman and the fetus will both die without emergency medical intervention- no abortion.

      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
        0·
        9 months ago

        while also getting LASIK, having their appendix removed, pulling wisdom teeth, getting cancer treatment…

        which apparently wasn’t God’s will.

      • pivot_root@lemmy.world
        0·
        9 months ago

        God is a genocidal asshole. Jesus was more about love, equity, and forgiveness. If laws are meant to be a reflection of society’s morals, you would think the laws introduced by Christian politicians would be more aligned with Jesus’ teachings.

        But, of course not. Why listen to your own religious teachings when you can cherry-pick examples out of the Bible to justify creating legislation that exerts control over women.

  • gnomesaiyan@lemmy.world
    0·
    9 months ago

    Roe should be reinstated with the following condition: if you are a former drug user and have had your kids taken away by CPS, you can get an abortion providing you also comply to a complete hysterectomy.

    Basically, if you have demonstrated a lack of care and concern for your children (leaving your 3 month old in the car while you go in the vape shop), then you shouldn’t be allowed to bear children. Stop looking to the state to clean up your mess.

  • mx_smith@lemmy.world
    0·
    9 months ago

    The embryo had been implanted in scar tissue from her recent cesarean section.

    This is interesting as I know many women lately who have went straight to C-Section for child birth. It used to be that you couldn’t get that unless you were not able to have a child vaginally , now it’s for the impatient people who can’t be inconvenienced by labor.

      • mx_smith@lemmy.world
        0·
        9 months ago

        No I’m not saying it’s an inconvenience, I’m saying there are many women I have known recently to treat it as such. I think it’s fine to get a C-section as my own son was born that way, it’s that it almost seems to be a trend that you take that option so you don’t have to deal with labor, at least for the rich women that I have known.

        • Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          0·
          9 months ago

          And?

          Child birth is extremely traumatic on the body, usually with permanent side effects. I wouldn’t blame anyone for making that choice.