Posts Tagged ‘miscarriage’
Have a miscarriage . . . Go To Jail??!!??
As many of you know, I’ve had a miscarriage. It sucked. It still sucks. However, when I read articles about how Utah wants to be able to prosecute women who have miscarriages, it makes me angry. Why? Over 15% – 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. That’s just nature’s way of handling an nonviable pregnancy.
The bill responds to a case in which a Vernal woman allegedly paid a man $150 to beat her and cause miscarriage but could not be charged. The Senate approved criminalizing a woman’s “intentional, knowing, or reckless act” leading to a pregnancy’s illegal termination. But here’s the problem — what is a knowing reckless act? If you eat tuna and have a miscarriage, is that reckless? If you fall down while pregnant, can you be charged (and the answer is yes because it happened in Iowa). Writing for RH Reality Check, Rachel Larris says,
Using the legal standard of “reckless behavior” all a district attorney needs to show is that a woman behaved in a manner that is thought to cause miscarriage, even if she didn’t intend to lose the pregnancy. Drink too much alcohol and have a miscarriage? Under the new law such actions could be cause for prosecution.
That terrifies me. I was sent to the ER when I miscarried. It was a Friday night and my OBGYN wanted me to get checked out even though we both knew what was happening. Would I have went knowing that I chanced going to jail because somebody didn’t like me, the way I dress, or anything I said? Hell, no. Heck, I had 2 different OBGYN’s for my pregnancies and both gave me different rules to follow. If the doctor’s can’t agree, how the heck am I suppose to know if something I did caused a miscarriage. Heck, I have an irritable uterus, so I’m most likely just screwed since my body doens’t like being pregnant and puts me into preterm labor. I know, you are stating that they won’t go after the “good” people. However, if you read the Iowa story, they do.
I’d love to know what you all think. Is this legislation taking it tad too far?
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October 15th Wave of Light for Pregnancy and Infant Loss
Having lost a child myself and knowing many others who have also, please take a few minutes of your time and light a candle tomorrow night. Everyone knows someone who has went through this loss (and you may not even know it). According to the Center for Disease Control Trends, 983,000 babies died in 1996 from miscarriage and stillbirth. That figure does not include neonatal loss, SIDS, or other causes. This is an old statistic, but that number is huge. It has also went up since then.
A pregnancy or infant loss is not something you tell the whole world about. Often, it is something that you keep private. It is one of the most horrible experiences you can ever go though. I talk about it, because it is good for me, and I hope that it will help someone else. You will always have a hole in your heart, but it does get smaller.
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I need to vent
There may be some swearing, so you have been warned.
I just got a bill from a collection agency. Yes, a collection agency. Why am I so pissed? Because this is from my miscarriage last July. I have been fighting this bill since then. My insurance company was suppose to be picking up the bill since it was through the emergency room, so I only should have had a $50 copay. I thought this was taken care off. I have been going back and forth between Blue Cross and the hospital for months. I was told NOT to pay anything until the insurance paid their portion. The insurance paid, and I have been expecting a bill, so I could pay my $50 copay. Hence, the collection letter tonight. Trust me, I was pissed. We don’t need this crap. I can’t deal with this shit anymore. Every time I have to deal with this, it brings all the emotions that come with having a miscarriage back. I called my dad, and he said just to pay it ASAP and it won’t show up on our credit report. This is just crap.
5 Days Left 