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the fetus had a lawyer
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Did you see last night's episode of “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver????? It is excellent coverage of Doula Cherise Gordon’s forced cesarean in Florida, how personhood laws drive these cases, and what we can do about it. Loved the shout outs to Pregnancy Justice & If/When/How. Note the hotlines shared at the end that you can use if you are threatened with a forced cesarean or need other support regarding your pregnancy rights. You might want to put these phone numbers in your phone now:
Watch the episode on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Cherise is sadly not alone. Brianna Bennett is another Florida woman who was also forced to have a cesarean. As this interview with Brianna explains, reproductive rights is not just about abortion. It's about the ability to choose how you want to have a child, if you want to have a child, and when you want to have a child. The legal rationale behind these forced cesareans, what makes them possible, are fetal personhood laws which state that a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus is a person. (Remember this when you, or your representatives, vote.) Laws targeting abortion have unintended consequences. Criminalizing pregnancy is just one. Women should not lose their right to informed decision making upon conception. But these personhood laws enable the state to come in on behalf of your fetus and override your wishes and force you to have a cesarean. As we see here, again, with another forced cesarean. I have been talking about this issue for years. Some people laughed it off. They didn't think the things I was saying were true. After all, personhood laws are about abortion, not pregnancy, right? Wrong. It’s becoming more and more clear with each and every forced cesarean - remember, we only know about the cases when women are vocal afterwards - and criminalized pregnancy, how deep these laws can impact anyone who can get pregnant... even if that pregnancy is very much wanted. Including those who are pregnant after a cesarean and want a VBAC. The fact is, not enough people are aware of the multitude of ways personhood laws impact women. I am grateful that John Oliver gave so much attention to this topic. It is huge. Remember, if you want to refresh your VBAC education, we support parents, professionals, legal and policy teams, as well as speak around the world. Pass it on.
PS: Life is still great on the road in our 34' travel trailer. My husband says he doesn't want to go back to the house and neither do I! So this is our reality for the foreseeable future. We are on day 54 and we just moved to a wonderful Washington State Park. Absolutely beautiful!! After I send this email, we are going to go on a quick walk and explore the campground. Don't worry, I'm not working too hard! (Though my fellow campers seem to think I do as there aren't many people out here on the their laptops. I assure them that we are "full timers" and then they smile with understanding.) |
VBAC Facts®
Our mission is to increase access to vaginal birth after cesarean. Subscribe to our emails to learn more!
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