Latest news with #CenterofReproductiveRights
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
We Need To Talk About The Republican Lawmaker Blaming Democrats For Her Doctors' Reluctance To End Her Pregnancy
Note: This post is an Op-Ed and shares the author's personal views. Republican Congressperson Kat Cammack is making headlines for blaming her doctors' reluctance to end her life-threatening pregnancy on Democrats. Yes, you read that correctly. In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Kat recalled experiencing an ectopic pregnancy last year, shortly after Florida's six-week abortion ban went into effect. According to the Cleveland Clinic, "an ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg implants outside of your uterus, most commonly in your fallopian tube... An ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition that requires emergency treatment." Related: "He Torched His Entire Reputation For Nothing": 27 Of The Best Political Tweets From This Messy, Messy Week She was about five weeks pregnant, the embryo had no heartbeat, and a doctor told her she could die. Even so, Kat says the hospital staff hesitated to expel the pregnancy as they were afraid of prosecution. She argued for hours and even tried calling Governor Ron DeSantis's office; in the end, they agreed to give her the shot of methotrexate she needed. In a remarkable display of cognitive dissonance, the lawmaker blamed liberal "fearmongering" for her issues at the hospital, suggesting the left's messaging around abortion bans ultimately made doctors paranoid (but apparently not the heavy consequences that come with breaking the abortion bans). She continued, "I would stand with any woman — Republican or Democrat — and fight for them to be able to get care in a situation where they are experiencing a miscarriage and an ectopic." Related: Donald Trump And Tucker Carlson Are Feuding, And Today It Escalated Even More The fall of Roe v. Wade paved the way for abortion bans and restrictions in states throughout the US, with disastrous consequences. According to the Center of Reproductive Rights, people are experiencing delayed or denied care because providers fear severe penalties. In Florida, doctors can face felony charges, five years in prison, and up to a $5K fine for performing the procedure. In Texas, it's even harsher, with doctors facing felony charges, life in prison, and a $100K fine. In both states, they can also lose their medical licenses. Amber Thurman. Josseli Barnica. Nevaeh Crain. These are the names of some of the women who've died in red states due to delayed care under abortion bans in recent years. I'm obviously not a doctor, but it seems like their deaths might've been prevented if not for the criminalization of abortion care. Amber's doctors waited 19 hours. Josseli's waited 40. Nevaeh visited the emergency room three times. To think that we had the knowledge and technology to save these women, but the doctors felt their hands were tied by the state. As a woman who lives in Texas, I'm always heartbroken by the news of any person dying due to the draconian abortion laws here. According to the Gender Equity Policy Institute, Texas has the highest number of maternal deaths in the US (and the rates are significantly worse for Black women). Before any conservatives ask if that's simply because Texas is the second-most populated state, California has the largest population but the lowest maternal mortality rate in the country. I wonder why. In addition to horrific loss of life, abortion bans have impacted healthcare in myriad other ways. Some OB-GYNs have left red states altogether. The number of med school graduates applying for OB-GYN residencies in states with abortion bans has decreased. Abortion bans are also worsening maternity care deserts. So, I struggle to sympathize with Kat Cammack. Instead of empathizing with all people who might want or need abortions, she remains a co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus. "How can that be?" you might ask. Well, in true Republican fashion, she decided that her situation was special. Kat told the Wall Street Journal, "There will be some comments like, 'Well, thank God we have abortion services,' even though what I went through wasn't an abortion." I don't care if she insists on calling the procedure any other name. The fact of the matter is Kat needed to end her pregnancy — just like so many other people do in this country, for any number of reasons — and an abortion ban interfered with her care. It's astounding to me that she's chosen to fight only for people "experiencing a miscarriage and an ectopic" like she did rather than criticizing the abortion bans themselves. Until she decides to fight for all people's abortion rights, I find her words as outrageous and reprehensible as this administration. Do better, Kat. Also in In the News: "Honestly Speechless At How Evil This Is": 26 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Week Also in In the News: People Are Roasting "MAGA Makeup" On TikTok, And It Might Be The Shadiest Thing I've Seen All Year Also in In the News: Jeff Bezos's Fiancée Lauren Sánchez Reacted To Criticism Of Her Inauguration Outfit
Buzz Feed
25-06-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
Republican Kat Cammack's Pregnancy Care Issues Blamed On The Left
Republican Congressperson Kat Cammack is making headlines for blaming her doctors' reluctance to end her life-threatening pregnancy on Democrats. Yes, you read that correctly. In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Kat recalled experiencing an ectopic pregnancy last year, shortly after Florida's six-week abortion ban went into effect. She was about five weeks pregnant, the embryo had no heartbeat, and a doctor told her she could die. Even so, Kat says the hospital staff hesitated to expel the pregnancy as they were afraid of prosecution. She argued for hours and even tried calling Governor Ron DeSantis's office; in the end, they agreed to give her the shot of methotrexate she needed. In a remarkable display of cognitive dissonance, the lawmaker blamed liberal "fearmongering" for her issues at the hospital, suggesting the left's messaging around abortion bans ultimately made doctors paranoid (but apparently not the heavy consequences that come with breaking the abortion bans). The fall of Roe v. Wade paved the way for abortion bans and restrictions in states throughout the US, with disastrous consequences. According to the Center of Reproductive Rights, people are experiencing delayed or denied care because providers fear severe penalties. In Florida, doctors can face felony charges, five years in prison, and up to a $5K fine for performing the procedure. In Texas, it's even harsher, with doctors facing felony charges, life in prison, and a $100K fine. In both states, they can also lose their medical licenses. Amber Thurman. Josseli Barnica. Nevaeh Crain. These are the names of some of the women who've died in red states due to delayed care under abortion bans in recent years. I'm obviously not a doctor, but it seems like their deaths might've been prevented if not for the criminalization of abortion care. Amber's doctors waited 19 hours. Josseli's waited 40. Nevaeh visited the emergency room three times. To think that we had the knowledge and technology to save these women, but the doctors felt their hands were tied by the state. As a woman who lives in Texas, I'm always heartbroken by the news of any person dying due to the draconian abortion laws here. According to the Gender Equity Policy Institute, Texas has the highest number of maternal deaths in the US (and the rates are significantly worse for Black women). Before any conservatives ask if that's simply because Texas is the second-most populated state, California has the largest population but the lowest maternal mortality rate in the country. I wonder why. In addition to horrific loss of life, abortion bans have impacted healthcare in myriad other ways. Some OB-GYNs have left red states altogether. The number of med school graduates applying for OB-GYN residencies in states with abortion bans has decreased. Abortion bans are also worsening maternity care deserts. So, I struggle to sympathize with Kat Cammack. Instead of empathizing with all people who might want or need abortions, she remains a co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus. "How can that be?" you might ask. Well, in true Republican fashion, she decided that her situation was special. Kat told the Wall Street Journal, "There will be some comments like, 'Well, thank God we have abortion services,' even though what I went through wasn't an abortion." I don't care if she insists on calling the procedure any other name. The fact of the matter is Kat needed to end her pregnancy — just like so many other people do in this country, for any number of reasons — and an abortion ban interfered with her care. It's astounding to me that she's chosen to fight only for people "experiencing a miscarriage and an ectopic" like she did rather than criticizing the abortion bans themselves. Until she decides to fight for all people's abortion rights, I find her words as outrageous and reprehensible as this administration. Do better, Kat.
Los Angeles Times
06-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY — A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said. Perez D. writes for the Associated Press.
06-06-2025
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY -- A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
06-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A panel of independent experts who make up the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Thursday they found that Guatemala violated the rights of a 14-year-old girl who was raped and forced to continue her pregnancy. A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture. 'No girl should be forced to carry the child of her rapist. Doing so robs her of her dignity, her future, and her most basic rights,' Committee member Hélène Tigroudja said in a statement, adding that 'This is not just a violation of reproductive autonomy — it is a profound act of cruelty.' The committee monitors countries' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When the girl's mother found out about the abuse she reported it to authorities. The man and his wife tried to bribe and threaten the girl's family into withdrawing the report. The case wound on in Guatemala's justice system for nine years, but the man was never punished. 'Guatemala did not properly investigate the rape, nor did it take effective action to prosecute the perpetrator,' the committee said. 'Guatemala is one of the Latin American countries with the highest rates of both forced motherhood and systematic impunity for sexual violence,' the committee's statement said. 'Although the Guatemalan Criminal Code allows abortion in specific situations to avoid a threat to the life of the mother, access to legal abortion is almost impossible in practice.' The committee called on Guatemala to establish a system to record and monitor such cases. In the case of the girl, it said the state should support her to complete higher education and attain her goals. Catalina Martínez, vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center of Reproductive Rights, one of the groups that brought the girl's case forward, said there is agreement in society that the protection of girls is a priority. 'But that promise is broken when we don't provide access to all health services, including abortion, and we obligate them to assume motherhood that they don't want and for which they are not prepared,' she said.
