(TheConservativeTimes.org) – In Dani Mathisen’s last year of medical school in Dallas, Texas, she and her husband decided to have a family. The ultrasound gave bad news when 28-year-old Mathisen had an anatomical scan in September of 2021, about 18 weeks along in her pregnancy.
Among her daughter’s many health problems were stunted brain development, a spinal hole, and a single kidney. Mathisen visited the office of her obstetrician-gynecologist aunt after the scan. She asked her aunt if the problems were lethal, and her aunt confirmed they were.
Mathisen’s doctor warned her the diagnosis was deadly but offered little choices to the grieving parents. Texas Senate Bill 8 had recently banned abortions beyond six weeks. So, Mathisen traveled to New Mexico for an abortion.
After two years, Mathisen joined some Texas women who were refused abortions and are suing the state over its abortion laws. The plaintiffs, who include two physicians, want better clarity to know when doctors may conduct emergency abortions. Texas abortion rules offer exceptions for life-threatening pregnancies, but some medical professionals say the wording is too unclear to perform abortions without risking jail time.
Mathisen, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wanted to join her family of Fort Worth physicians. She chose a residency program in Hawaii following her pregnancy since abortion is permitted there. Mathisen stated she needed training to provide her patients with alternatives she didn’t have.
Texas attorneys argue that the statutes do not ban physicians from performing abortions in the situations detailed in the claim and that the plaintiffs were injured by their doctors.
Many Texans feel medical crises may accommodate abortions, according to Center for Reproductive Rights attorney Nick Kabat. A medical emergency might be defined differently, he noted.
The Texas attorney general may seek a $100,000 civil penalty and attorney’s costs for executing an abortion, which is a crime punishable by life in prison.
The Supreme Court will likely rule by June 28, the final day of its current session.
According to a report, Mathisen is pregnant again and was relieved when the anatomy scan indicated a healthy baby.
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