An Oklahoma woman with a fatal pregnancy complication claims she was told the state’s ban on abortion meant she could not receive treatment until her condition was critical.
Housewife of three Jaci Statton, 25, was diagnosed with a cancerous molar pregnancy while expecting her fourth child, meaning the embryo had too many chromosomes and the fetus could not survive. In Mrs Stratton’s case the tissue was also cancerous.
But the state banned all abortions unless it was to save the pregnant woman’s life, meaning several different hospitals said they couldn’t treat her unless she “collapsed in front of us or your blood pressure is so high” that you about to have an abortion’. Heart attack’.
Molar pregnancies require surgery to remove the molar tissue, which can be performed with emergency dilation and curettage abortion (D&C). BBut Mrs. Statton and her husband were forced to drive three hours to an abortion clinic in Kansas that offers the procedure.
The longer the fetus stays with the mother, the greater the risk of internal bleeding, kidney and liver failure, and even stroke.
Jaci Statton, 25, a stay-at-home mother of three, became nauseous during her pregnancy and suffered a sudden heavy bleed in mid-March 2023
Mrs. Statton has three children: two seven-year-olds and one eight-year-old. She was pregnant with her fourth child when she had a cancerous molar pregnancy
Halfway through her pregnancy, in mid-March, Ms. Stratton suffered an episode of sudden heavy bleeding and was rushed straight to the emergency room.
Most molar pregnancies are benign, but 15 per cent of cases, including Ms Statton’s, can be cancerous.
About one in 1,000 pregnancies in the US is molar, compared with one in 590 in the UK.
Treatment for the condition is an emergency dilation and curettage (D&C) abortion, which involves the removal of pregnancy tissue in the uterus.
She went to three hospitals within a week of learning about the condition, but they all told her they couldn’t touch her because of Oklahoma law.
The latter told her to wait in the parking lot.
Ms. Statton told NPR: “You were very sincere; they weren’t trying to be mean.
“They said, ‘The best we can tell you is to sit in the parking lot and if anything else happens, we’re ready to help. But we can’t touch you if you don’t fall before us or your blood.” The pressure becomes so high that you are on the verge of a heart attack.
More than a dozen states have restricted access to abortion after Roe V Wade’s ouster
Mrs. Statton with her husband Dustin Statton. The couple had to drive three hours to Kansas to receive the necessary treatment
Oklahoma has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world. Last May, GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt banned terminations from the date of conception.
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The order is not a final judgment on the matter, but a preliminary order. It is still legal to prescribe and serve him at least until Friday, when the week-long suspension that Judge Kacsmaryk imposed to give the government time to appeal expires.
The only exceptions are to save the life of a pregnant woman or if the pregnancy is the result of a police report of rape or incest.
While Oklahoma law allows abortion to save the pregnant woman’s life, it can be difficult to define, and doctors face confusion and fear of prosecution when determining whether an abortion is legal in each case.
Although doctors conceded that she could bleed and even die, hospitals said they could not treat her.
It also allows them to remove an ectopic pregnancy, a potentially life-threatening emergency that occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, often in a fallopian tube and in early pregnancy.
A study published Tuesday, along with an opinion piece in The Lancet, found that Oklahoma hospitals are struggling to interpret the laws and issue policies that comply.
This places women like mrs. Statton in dangerous situations.
Her doctors eventually recommended that she leave Oklahoma and travel to a state where abortion is legal.
Ms. Statton and her husband drove three hours to an abortion clinic in Kansas where she had access to a D&C.
She will now have to undergo another operation to get rid of more cancerous tissue and may even need chemotherapy.
Ms. Statton said it was mentally difficult and said “something needs to be done” about Oklahoma’s abortion laws.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
