I was violated and put in extreme danger': women denied abortions sue over Arkansas ban

"As Emily Waldorf languished in an Arkansas hospital, she felt like a ticking time bomb. It was 2024, and the physical therapist was in the midst of miscarrying a much-wanted pregnancy. But because her fetus still had a heartbeat, hospital officials said Arkansas's near-total abortion ban blocked them from taking steps to induce labor and end her pregnancy. Instead, Waldorf had to wait and hope that she didn't develop a deadly infection."

"Waldorf's sister, Elizabeth, called the office of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, to ask for help. What do you expect the governor to do? a male official from Sanders's office asked. Waldorf, the official said, should find a lawyer. Waldorf took the advice, as a sweeping new lawsuit shows. On Wednesday, Waldorf, an OB-GYN and three other Arkansas women who say they were also blocked from getting abortions sued the state in an attempt to strike down its near-total abortion ban."

"Arkansas's abortion bans are vague, confusing, and worse, extremely dangerous, the lawsuit alleges. How are pregnant Arkansans supposed to access comprehensive obstetric care when leaving Arkansas means traveling through some of the most remote parts of the state, and when Arkansas is surrounded by other states with their own abortion bans? Since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, unleashing a wave of state-level abortion bans, dozens of women have come forward to say they were denied medically necessary abortions."

A pregnant Arkansas woman miscarried but hospital staff refused to induce labor because the fetus still had a heartbeat, citing the state's near-total abortion ban. Her family sought help from the governor's office and were told to find a lawyer. Four women, including the miscarriage patient and an OB-GYN, sued the state seeking to strike down the ban after being denied abortions, including in a pregnancy from sexual assault. The lawsuit describes Arkansas's abortion restrictions as vague and dangerous, highlights travel barriers to care, and notes many women have been denied medically necessary abortions since Roe was overturned.

Read at www.theguardian.com