What Is An Ectopic Pregnancy And How Does The US Abortion Ban Affect Such Cases?
The United States Supreme Court ruling that led to a reversal in the Roe v. Wade case has left the world in utter chaos. Not to mention the unrest that has swept America, resulting in massive shaking of faith in the Biden presidency and the Democrats. Among this wave of fear, doctors around the globe are raising concerns about the ill effect that the decree might have on the cases with complications, especially the ones with ectopic pregnancies.
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
An ectopic pregnancy is one in which the egg attaches to a part that is outside of the uterus, typically inside one of the fallopian tubes. In situations like these, there’s unfortunately, no chance for the fetus’ survival due to improper conditions. To make matters worse, this condition has a very high risk attached to it. It can be fatal for the pregnant person if their pregnancy is not terminated urgently with medication or surgery. These can be very common in women.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believes that even though these procedures are not directly considered to be abortions, the patient may have a very hard time getting medical aid and attention to them in states where abortion restrictions are ‘vaguely worded’. These ‘approval’ based unnecessary delays are very awful as they not only hurt the patient, they can be fatally dangerous for them.
So why does the Roe v. Wade overturning and resulting abortion ban in some American states affect ectopic pregnancies?
Greer Donley, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, recently talked about the importance of clear laws as even if the abortion laws and their details vary by state, they can be confusing. In fact, the vagueness at play here leaves room for these laws or rather, the absence of them, to be interpreted differently by hospitals and their staff resulting in delays, harm and even deaths.
Also Read: American Women Lose Fundamental Constitutional Protection For Abortion Rights
In fact, if the states choose to make laws that ban abortions, in the future, they would also end up forbidding this procedure which would result in a massive increase in illegal processes and painfully enough, even the death count.
Usually, these laws include exceptions in cases where the life of the patient is at risk but, they forbid killing a foetus that is alive. So, this leaves doctors with a watch, waiting for the foetus to cause the fallopian tubes of the patients to rupture, in order to create a legal emergency. This is very dangerous because it reduces the chances of survival by a great percentage, It leaves them at a very uncertain point wherein if their care is further delayed, it might be too late.
Also Read: Meghan Markle Talks About The Effects Of Roe V Wade
What Are The Signs Of Ectopic Pregnancies?
Most of the early signs of Ectopic pregnancies mimic those displayed by normal ones which make it very hard to clearly distinguish between the two. Although, in cases where one notices excessive or abnormal vaginal bleeding followed by stomach pain, it’s time to rush to your healthcare provider and get an emergency check-up.
Later in an ectopic pregnancy, there comes a stage when you can clearer warning signs including sudden severe pain in the pelvis; sudden shoulder pain; and sudden weakness or dizziness. These signs can be even more dangerous because they indicate that your fallopian tubes might rupture soon. Please be careful with these signs, and rush to the emergency room, right away.
The women in the United States deserve better medical care and better laws that not only protect their lives and avoid risking them but also, return them their rights to their own bodies and their own decisions. Let’s give our support to their fight against Supreme Court’s decision.
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