With abortion on the ballot, reports of deaths linked to bans emerge
Residents of 10 states will vote on abortion-related ballot measures. A spate of recent reports have emerged about the life-threatening consequences of strict bans.
Residents of 10 states will vote Tuesday on abortion-related ballot measures, half of which would overturn existing restrictions. In the weeks ahead of an election in which abortion access has been a central issue, a spate of reports have emerged about the life-threatening consequences of strict laws against it.
ProPublica reported last week that two Texas women died after they faced delays in getting miscarriage care because of the state’s abortion ban. ProPublica’s coverage in September linked two deaths to Georgia’s abortion ban.
In response to the most recent reports, a group of OB-GYNs told Texas officials and policymakers in an open letter that the two women — Josseli Barnica, 28, and Nevaeh Crain, 18 — should still be alive.
“The nature of the strict abortion ban in Texas does not allow us as medical professionals to do our jobs,” they wrote. “The law does not allow Texas women to get the lifesaving care they need.”
Texas and Georgia are not among the 10 states with ballot measures that would protect or expand abortion rights. But reproductive rights advocates said stories about the consequences of abortion bans resonate with voters in any part of the country.
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