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.

  • Lath@kbin.social
    1104·
    9 months ago

    The solution is obvious. Stop having heterosexual sex.

    Gay sex for everyone - the ultimate conservative goal!

  • Ekybio@lemmy.world
    37·
    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.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      19·
      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
        20·
        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
        7·
        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.

      • PeterPoopshit@lemmy.world
        8·
        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”

  • IamSparticles@lemmy.zipEnglish
    31·
    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.

  • jupyter_rain@discuss.tchncs.de
    261·
    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
      27·
      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.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
    11·
    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.

      • mx_smith@lemmy.world
        17·
        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
          71·
          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.

    • just_ducky_in_NH@lemmy.world
      1·
      9 months ago

      That c-section was a travesty. What the hell were they doing, making an incision over six inches long straight up her abdomen, cutting across the grain of all her abdominal muscles? That doctor should have their license revoked.