The Senate is voting on "defunding" Planned Parenthood today. Give yours a call and ask them not to: www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
If I was able to make myself call both Senators Cruz and Cornyn, you can call yours too!
For transparency's sake: neither answered, so I left a message for Cornyn, but Cruz's mailbox was full. I was nervous, but glad I did it, and think I probably will do so more in the future.
Post by UMaineTeach on Aug 3, 2015 20:07:33 GMT -5
I got a robo call today to push 1 to be connected and let her know you WANT to defund. I didn't, because I wasn't sure if it was going to auto record on the senator's system as a vote against what I wanted.
I also had to restrain myself from going off on a neighbor I like with her shared post for me to call and urge them to defund. She's smart. She's has 2 tragic mid-term miscarriages that involved "abortion" procedures to resolve. And yet she sincerely believes [example of an opinion that is wrong] that PP is making millions off selling baby parts.
I got a robo call today to push 1 to be connected and let her know you WANT to defund. I didn't, because I wasn't sure if it was going to auto record on the senator's system as a vote against what I wanted.
I also had to restrain myself from going off on a neighbor I like with her shared post for me to call and urge them to defund. She's smart. She's has 2 tragic mid-term miscarriages that involved "abortion" procedures to resolve. And yet she sincerely believes [example of an opinion that is wrong] that PP is making millions off selling baby parts.
Can someone tell me more about this? @wandering maybe?
***Also, pregnancy loss trigger warning.***
The procedure that I know about is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). Are there others? I know that it involves dilation and then going in and removing whatever needs to be removed and that it is an important intervention because it reduces the risk that a woman will die from infection or bleeding out.
Is there a difference as to how the procedure is done if it is a miscarriage or an abortion? Do laws about abortion make it harder for a woman having a miscarriage to get a D&C? Is it legally considered an abortion if the fetus has passed away--for example if the heart has stopped?
I got a robo call today to push 1 to be connected and let her know you WANT to defund. I didn't, because I wasn't sure if it was going to auto record on the senator's system as a vote against what I wanted.
I also had to restrain myself from going off on a neighbor I like with her shared post for me to call and urge them to defund. She's smart. She's has 2 tragic mid-term miscarriages that involved "abortion" procedures to resolve. And yet she sincerely believes [example of an opinion that is wrong] that PP is making millions off selling baby parts.
Can someone tell me more about this? @wandering maybe?
***Also, pregnancy loss trigger warning.***
The procedure that I know about is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). Are there others? I know that it involves dilation and then going in and removing whatever needs to be removed and that it is an important intervention because it reduces the risk that a woman will die from infection or bleeding out.
Is there a difference as to how the procedure is done if it is a miscarriage or an abortion? Do laws about abortion make it harder for a woman having a miscarriage to get a D&C? Is it legally considered an abortion if the fetus has passed away--for example if the heart has stopped?
Legal definition? I don't know. But on my hospital paperwork it said "Abortion" when I went in for my D&C, even though my baby had already passed away.
Can someone tell me more about this? @wandering maybe?
***Also, pregnancy loss trigger warning.***
The procedure that I know about is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). Are there others? I know that it involves dilation and then going in and removing whatever needs to be removed and that it is an important intervention because it reduces the risk that a woman will die from infection or bleeding out.
Is there a difference as to how the procedure is done if it is a miscarriage or an abortion? Do laws about abortion make it harder for a woman having a miscarriage to get a D&C? Is it legally considered an abortion if the fetus has passed away--for example if the heart has stopped?
Legal definition? Â I don't know. Â But on my hospital paperwork it said "Abortion" when I went in for my D&C, even though my baby had already passed away.Â
In the second trimester its a slightly different procedure called a D&E. I didn't have one (because I was in my third trimester) but I know someone in my loss support group had to go to planned parenthood to get her d & e after her Anatomy scan showed issues. This woman has health insurance, we live in a large city in So Cal, so it's not like medicaL care is scarce.
Trigger warning: discussion of miscarriages/procedures
LadySusan From my maternal/newborn nursing experience, I don't think it would be illegal (at any stage of pregnancy) to have a D&C/D&E if there is no longer a heartbeat. That's just what you do if someone has a missed abortion. Early on, they can usually give you medicine to make you deliver, but as you get further along you need a surgical procedure (D&C or D&E). Sometimes you might need the surgical procedure after the medical one if it doesn't work completely.
For a missed abortion (miscarriage where fetus dies but body doesn't start expelling it), I have seen inductions throughout the second term, and even for full term when intrauterine fetal demises occurs that late. If there are issues like infection or something else going on with mom's health though, they may not want to wait for the woman to dilate and deliver, so that may be a scenario where a surgical procedure is done instead of induction. Possibly the woman may also have some ability to choose if she prefers an induction or surgical procedure, depending on the situation.
Overall though, induction with medication, D&C, and D&E are exactly the same procedures that are used for an elective/therapeutic abortion (just depends on how far along the pregnancy is/if certain complications are present), which is why it's a problem when people want to make laws to stop teaching medical students how to do these "abortion" procedures. Because there are definitely times when they are necessary for a woman's health when the fetus is no longer alive. In that way, some of these laws can affect women who need the procedures for a miscarriage/IUFD. The direct ban on (elective) abortion should not stop the procedure from being done for a miscarriage though, unless they aren't careful with the wording (which I suppose it a possibility).
I got a robo call today to push 1 to be connected and let her know you WANT to defund. I didn't, because I wasn't sure if it was going to auto record on the senator's system as a vote against what I wanted.
I also had to restrain myself from going off on a neighbor I like with her shared post for me to call and urge them to defund. She's smart. She's has 2 tragic mid-term miscarriages that involved "abortion" procedures to resolve. And yet she sincerely believes [example of an opinion that is wrong] that PP is making millions off selling baby parts.
Can someone tell me more about this? @wandering maybe?
***Also, pregnancy loss trigger warning.***
The procedure that I know about is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). Are there others? I know that it involves dilation and then going in and removing whatever needs to be removed and that it is an important intervention because it reduces the risk that a woman will die from infection or bleeding out.
Is there a difference as to how the procedure is done if it is a miscarriage or an abortion? Do laws about abortion make it harder for a woman having a miscarriage to get a D&C? Is it legally considered an abortion if the fetus has passed away--for example if the heart has stopped?
I don't know about a legal definition, but all miscarriages are abortions, whether they be spontaneous abortions, missed abortions, or partial abortions. Elective abortions are what the anti-choice movement go after, but I am afraid the rhetoric puts treatment for any kind of abortion in jeopardy: see North Carolina wanting to prevent UNC from training doctors in abortion procedures or a Georgia pharmacist not filling a misoprostol scrip for a missed abortion because of conscientious objection laws.
Thank you very much. I feel more knowledgeable and prepared to point out how even a little thing like pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription could endanger the life of a woman dealing with pregnancy loss.
I got a robo call today to push 1 to be connected and let her know you WANT to defund. I didn't, because I wasn't sure if it was going to auto record on the senator's system as a vote against what I wanted.
I also had to restrain myself from going off on a neighbor I like with her shared post for me to call and urge them to defund. She's smart. She's has 2 tragic mid-term miscarriages that involved "abortion" procedures to resolve. And yet she sincerely believes [example of an opinion that is wrong] that PP is making millions off selling baby parts.
I have a cousin who is a NURSE who is posting this shit on FB. She's got some article up about PP "selling whole fetus cadavers." And her headline is something to the effect of "Sick to my stomach." I'm astonished that a member of the health care community would be spreading this tripe.
I got a robo call today to push 1 to be connected and let her know you WANT to defund. I didn't, because I wasn't sure if it was going to auto record on the senator's system as a vote against what I wanted.
I also had to restrain myself from going off on a neighbor I like with her shared post for me to call and urge them to defund. She's smart. She's has 2 tragic mid-term miscarriages that involved "abortion" procedures to resolve. And yet she sincerely believes [example of an opinion that is wrong] that PP is making millions off selling baby parts.
Can someone tell me more about this? @wandering maybe?
***Also, pregnancy loss trigger warning.***
The procedure that I know about is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). Are there others? I know that it involves dilation and then going in and removing whatever needs to be removed and that it is an important intervention because it reduces the risk that a woman will die from infection or bleeding out.
Is there a difference as to how the procedure is done if it is a miscarriage or an abortion? Do laws about abortion make it harder for a woman having a miscarriage to get a D&C? Is it legally considered an abortion if the fetus has passed away--for example if the heart has stopped?
The medical name for a miscarriage is an abortion. Usually "spontaneous abortion." The medical name for the procedure used in a "missed/incomplete abortion" (aka "silent miscarriage") is a d&c. It's actually a bit like Frankenstein in that the names have come to designate things other than what they actually are. So if I were talking to someone about miscarriage, I would say I have had two "silent miscarriages", but technically, what my medical records say is that I've had two d&cs for two spontaneous, incomplete abortions. There is no difference in the technique used for a d&c in a miscarriage v. elective abortion.
The second part of your question is, yes, it does make it harder for a woman having a miscarriage to get a d&c. Just one way it makes it harder is that when "abortions" are restricted, the ability of physicians to get training in how to perform abortions gets restricted so you have fewer places that will do a d&c for a miscarriage and fewer physicians that are competent in how to do it. There are a litany of other ways it's a problem, but that is just one.
Post by Velar Fricative on Aug 4, 2015 13:35:37 GMT -5
Others have chimed in already with what I would have said but it's worth reiterating with a real-life example. I needed a D&E when I lost my pregnancy at 21 weeks. Even in New York City, it wasn't super convenient. It involved three straight days of driving into and from Manhattan during rush hour for prep and for the actual procedure. The prep discomfort was physically agonizing (as if the emotional wounds weren't bad enough). The procedure itself was only "fine" because I was gloriously knocked out for it. We had to go into Manhattan because of a combination of insurance issues plus the fact that fewer and fewer doctors can perform D&Es because of some of the reasons outlined above (fear, pro-life influences in medical schools, etc.). Whether you terminate the pregnancy or fetal death naturally occurs, the D&E procedure is THE SAME. So it's really damn cruel to not be able to help women in this crappy situation. Not to mention, if the woman is terminating her pregnancy at ~20 weeks, it's far less likely she's doing it just for shits and giggles; she's probably doing it because of severe fetal abnormalities discovered around that time that make life outside the womb either impossible, close to impossible, or just plain miserable. So having fewer medical staff who can perform this procedure is appalling.
All that to say, we had the luxury of being able to go to the hospital for this procedure. All we needed was a car and some gas, both of which we could afford. We both had sick days from work we could use. We had family members plus a daycare center who cared for our daughter during those days. Now imagine you're somewhere else in America where your only option is PP, particularly if you're living somewhere where they've made it damn near impossible to get the services you need and have the right to access.
So this is why reproductive rights is my political hill to die on. Because more than ever since my D&E, I realize restrictions on these rights are sickeningly anti-woman.
Don't forget about that MALE REPUBLICAN politician who wanted to ban all abortions for miscarriages. "Women are like cows and they can expel their dead babies like cows." I'm paraphrasing but that was his gist.
This was right after my miscarriage and D&C and I wanted to scream and then throw things at him and other worse things not nice in polite company. Fucking asshole. Fucking. Ass. Hole.
Others have chimed in already with what I would have said but it's worth reiterating with a real-life example. I needed a D&E when I lost my pregnancy at 21 weeks. Even in New York City, it wasn't super convenient. It involved three straight days of driving into and from Manhattan during rush hour for prep and for the actual procedure. The prep discomfort was physically agonizing (as if the emotional wounds weren't bad enough). The procedure itself was only "fine" because I was gloriously knocked out for it. We had to go into Manhattan because of a combination of insurance issues plus the fact that fewer and fewer doctors can perform D&Es because of some of the reasons outlined above (fear, pro-life influences in medical schools, etc.). Whether you terminate the pregnancy or fetal death naturally occurs, the D&E procedure is THE SAME. So it's really damn cruel to not be able to help women in this crappy situation. Not to mention, if the woman is terminating her pregnancy at ~20 weeks, it's far less likely she's doing it just for shits and giggles; she's probably doing it because of severe fetal abnormalities discovered around that time that make life outside the womb either impossible, close to impossible, or just plain miserable. So having fewer medical staff who can perform this procedure is appalling.
All that to say, we had the luxury of being able to go to the hospital for this procedure. All we needed was a car and some gas, both of which we could afford. We both had sick days from work we could use. We had family members plus a daycare center who cared for our daughter during those days. Now imagine you're somewhere else in America where your only option is PP, particularly if you're living somewhere where they've made it damn near impossible to get the services you need and have the right to access.
So this is why reproductive rights is my political hill to die on. Because more than ever since my D&E, I realize restrictions on these rights are sickeningly anti-woman.
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry for your loss.
As usual, I have 0 hope that my asshole senators will vote correctly on a bill regarding women's health. The politics of NC is probably the worst thing about the state.
ETA: This is telling... when I go to Burr's website, I can comment on a variety of issues including abortion. But somehow, women's health is NOT one of the issues I can choose. So I chose human rights.