In Louisiana, doctors can face up to 15 years in prison and $200k in fines for violating the total abortion ban. To avoid the risk of losing their licenses and being jailed, doctors are performing C-sections to save lives in high-risk pregnancies. This invasive surgery, which entails the slicing open of the abdomen and uterus, can often lead to serious complications. Dr. Nicole Freehill, an OB-GYN in New Orleans, explains, “The least safe thing that we do, no matter if it’s early in pregnancy or full-term at your due date, is a C-section.”
Patients can experience hemorrhaging and sepsis, and the incision alone can affect fertility and decreases a person’s ability to deliver vaginally in the future.
The abortion ban in Louisiana does allow exemptions. However, legally accepted reasons for performing the procedure are unclear. Dr. Jennifer Avegno, an ER physician and director of the New Orleans Health Department, explains: “It’s impossible to spell [out] every single presentation that a patient [with a nonviable pregnancy] might have in law.” The law states that abortion is permitted in the event that it would save the mother’s life. But without the specificity of what conditions legally justify an abortion, Louisiana doctors are even afraid to treat women struggling with miscarriage.
While C-sections offer a way for doctors to save the lives of patients experiencing life-threatening pregnancies, it comes at a severe cost. Louisiana ranks fourth in the maternal mortality rate, underscoring the dire consequences of these restrictive laws on both healthcare providers and patients.
SOURCES
Doctors Confused by La. Abortion Laws
Pregnancy Dangerously Disrupted in La.
La. Fourth Highest Maternal Mortality Rate
La. Women Struggle to Get Maternal Care
Docs in La. Fearing Jail are Performing C-sections in lieu of abortions