Politics

/

ArcaMax

How treatment of miscarriages is upending the abortion debate

Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times on

Published in Political News

"Everyone knows someone who has been pregnant or loves a pregnant person," she added. "To think that somebody's health might not be protected even in a wanted pregnancy really cuts through some of the stigma abortion has had to face in the last 50 years."

Evangelical leader Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, counters that focusing on potential restrictions on miscarriage care — or fertility treatments in the aftermath of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year — are red herrings put forth by liberals.

"This is a strategy to try and change the subject and shift the narrative," Reed said.

"I know the Democrats want to develop it as a talking point," he added, "but I can't imagine that pro-life laws are going to lead women to not be able to get treated for a miscarriage. I think that's the talking point they are trying to develop because they don't want to talk about their own position on abortion. And frankly, I don't blame them."

About 80% of miscarriages among women who know they are pregnant resolve by themselves within eight weeks, with the fetus passing through the woman's body without medical intervention, according to a 2018 paper by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a 2019 report by KFF, an independent health policy organization.

But if the fetus or some of the tissue doesn't pass, it needs to be removed to avoid potentially fatal medical complications for the woman, such as a sepsis infection, through drug-induced or surgical treatment.

 

Reproductive rights have been a political flash point for decades. But in addition to core ideological disagreements, both parties are hyper-focused on this issue this electoral cycle because of the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that granted federal protection of abortion rights. Since then, several states have severely restricted abortion access, while others have enshrined such access in their state constitutions.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case about whether the federal government can make hospitals that receive Medicare funding perform emergency abortions. Several justices appeared skeptical of an Idaho law that would make it illegal for physicians to perform such a procedure for a woman whose health was seriously jeopardized, but life not at risk.

Restrictions on reproductive rights are expected to be a pivotal issue among suburban, college-educated women, a key voter bloc in places like Orange County, as well as the suburbs of Philadelphia and Atlanta, critical regions that could determine control of Congress, and in some states, the presidency.

"Politically speaking, this is a big problem for Republicans," said Barrett Marson, an Arizona-based GOP strategist. Still, Marson called on Republicans to support the 1864 anti-abortion law, even if it meant losing some elections.

...continued

swipe to next page

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus