Idaho Court to Hear from Women Denied Abortions Amid Pregnancy Complications

TIME

An Idaho court will hear arguments on Tuesday in a lawsuit over the state’s near-total ban on abortion—one of the strictest laws in the country.

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00:00you

00:30you

00:41when that 12-week ultrasound came up we went in and we were given really grave

00:48news about our baby and that we were told that our baby wasn't going to

00:54survive the pregnancy and that the longer I stayed pregnant the sicker I

00:59could become and and you know that was putting my life and my health at risk

01:04and you know we already had a toddler to consider when we were given basically

01:11given a sheet of clinics in nearby states that we could try to call the

01:18sheet was outdated because of all the different changes that were happening in

01:23other states as well as in Idaho but after spending a couple of days calling

01:28clinics and being put on at several places weeks long waiting list other

01:33places we were not able to you know we were too far along at 20 weeks and some

01:39of the clinics that we called had actually closed down so it just felt

01:42like this really defeating battle that we were up against but we did have a

01:49last-minute cancellation thankfully for a clinic in Seattle that was able to get

01:53us in I knew I was on I I knew I was on a timeline I knew that you know not only

01:59you know the longer I stayed pregnant the more sick I could become but I also

02:04knew that the longer I stayed pregnant the harder it would be to access abortion

02:09care because I would be further and further along in my pregnancy so I knew

02:13that my options would become more and more limited and so you know I was I was

02:19calling clinics as soon as I got home from the doctor's office and it was

02:26incredibly challenging because I was you know calling abortion clinics and trying

02:31to keep myself together trying to explain my story to them and asking you

02:36know do you have appointments available and you know so it was it was really

02:40it was really challenging to be making these phone calls so still processing

02:45the fact that my baby was going to die nobody should have to go through their

02:48pregnancy wondering how am I going to flee somewhere else who who is willing

02:55to take me in who is willing to provide medical care for me that shouldn't be

03:01even a thought that crosses your mind when you're pregnant you should you

03:05should just feel like you have confidence in you know in the state that

03:10you live in that you can access proper medical care when needed we always had

03:14it in the back of our minds that something could go wrong and that we

03:16would need to access care outside of the state but even knowing that still

03:22doesn't prepare you for when it's actually happening

03:35we're real women with real stories and this happens to two people that you know

03:39and love you know in addition to sharing those stories and hopefully you know

03:44that being a compelling reason for somebody to consider maybe their views

03:50on on abortion we are hoping to get some clarity on the ways that the laws are

03:57written and hopefully some exceptions as to when abortion is allowed in the state

04:03especially in regard to the health of the mother the health of the fetus it's

04:08really thinking on the broader spectrum of of being able to provide adequate

04:16health care for Idahoans when they need it within the state of Idaho not

04:22airlifting patients out of the state not trying to coordinate you know travel

04:28outside of the state especially in a case of an emergency but being able you

04:33know giving giving providers and their patients the confidence to to proceed

04:39with the health care that they know they need abortion care is health care and

04:45that's and that's really the bottom line of this is that a lot of this comes down

04:50to you know being able to provide patients the care that they need when

04:56they need it where they need it and that's what's at stake here we're hoping

05:02that you know this this lawsuit provides better clarity so that that

05:07physicians do feel comfortable and safe being able to provide the the health

05:13care options that they know are the most appropriate I think the stakes are very

05:18high for women in the state whether or not you feel like you would ever choose

05:22an abortion or you would make that choice for yourself or your family it's

05:28it's likely going to affect people that you know and love and and women are

05:34becoming sick and women are dying in other states so this is a very real risk

05:41and this is just I feel like you know just a tiny portion of what needs to

05:49change but I'm hopeful that the case you know can do something positive in regard

05:55to that

06:25you

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