Woman declared legally dead is being kept alive due to state’s abortion laws

[Youstolemygoddamnhouse]

Anyone see this story?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/15/pregnant-georgia-woman-brain-dead-abortion-law

TLTR
US women is being kept alive on life support due to abortion laws. Woman was 9 weeks pregnant when she became brain dead. Family have no say in the matter and do not want this. The foetus if it survives may have life long health conditions and suffer from brain damage. Family are also having to pay for medical fees occurred and also for future birth fees.

I am being unreasonable to say WTF. Where is the outcry about this? This actually happened in an episode of The Handmaid’s tale.

YABU - this is the law, law needs to be upheld even after death
YANBU - WTF. Women are not safe even after death.

It said they’d been visiting. Her partner, her child, her mother. Normally the doctors don’t just declare legally brain dead and off you fuck. You’d continue to be with them till the end. Normally this would be days instead they are all stuck in limbo.

If one believes that the life of the baby begins with it’s heartbeat, as professed in this case, then knowing this foetus is growing, and may already feel pain of a life limiting abnormality is surely a cruel and unusual punishment in conflict with the 8th amendment.

What law do you think has been changed

The result is the same in these people’s eyes and the sort of people who think that women shouldn’t be allowed abortions will often be even more extreme because of religious ideology. They need to fuck off with any of their anti abortion bullshit. Peoples real lives matter more than religious ideology.

It's as though JWs managed to forbid anyone at all ever to have a blood transfusion for any reason. (Not that I think they want to, but supposing they were the sort of religious nutters who want to kill off everyone who disagrees with their beliefs because such recusants do not deserve to live.)

I’m waiting for the test case where they force a JW to accept blood to save a pregnancy.

that will be interesting.

It will be a tragedy, however it goes.

I believe it was Nevada, the only thing I could find now was a research paper published in 2020. It's one of those things I read about years ago but can't find the original source.

The baby may well be born in a permanent vegetative state itself. Once brain death happens none of the usual processes a woman's body goes through during pregnancy occur. Added to that the woman herself isn't moving, talking, breathing by herself, her heart isn't beating by itself, etc. I saw a really good post on Facebook outlining everything that isn't happening that helps the baby prepare for life outside the womb. Babies that have been born to women in comas or with locked in syndrome experience trauma from birth. Added to that i think the baby already has issues (fluid on the brain.)
For me, this goes against God and nature, and humanity, because it's inhumane.

The whole things is beyond fucked up.

It’s abhorrent this is happening in a country what is (was) considered a leader of the free world. This is the kind of stuff you’d expect in some third county with medieval views regarding religion where women’s rights don’t exist.

Let’s be honest here, this is due to religious beliefs and the fact new life is scared at any cost. It’s not about the rights of life in general otherwise it would be counterproductive to allow a mother to die in order to save her unborn child. So it’s not all life is sacred only those potential lives that don’t exist without the women’s body.

This is the problem when religions beliefs take precedence in society and laws that govern. If a woman wouldn’t want an abortion that’s absolutely fine and is her right. If a woman does want an abortion for any reason then that’s ok as well. Her body her choice.

I also wonder if those that think it’s perfectly fine what they are doing, would also be happy for them to use their organs or the organs of their dead family member in order to save a life?…. I bet not because that’s not been discussed in the bible…..

That one was Ireland I believe, but it's happened all over the world, with mixed results in terms of the baby. I think this case is one of or possibly the earliest though.

Though, looking there was also a Nevada case around the same time.

It happens in countries with more liberal abortion laws as well as restrictive ones. The difference is that it's usually only done with the families blessing, and therefore doesn't hit the media. Even Canada have done it and they are one of the most liberal countries in the world for abortion. Granted it was 2nd trimester not 1st and with the support of her husband, but baby went home well after some time in hospital as he was premature.

I agree that it was too early in the case, and it should (usually) require the families support ,but we need to be careful when labelling this as grotesque when some families would beg for the baby to be saved, and for them it's a medical miracle.

None of the women involved consented to being kept alive for this. None of them will ever have an awareness of it, and none of them will suffer because of it. If it's undignified and grotesque, then that is equally the case where the hospital make the decision and someone's spouse? It's the same for the woman, not that she'd ever know.

It is however, extending the agony and grief of the family, especially where there are other children, which is why I think it should usually require their consent. The only reason I say usually is in the case of a third trimester situation whether baby can be delivered immediately and survive, but the family refuse. I'm not sure that's right, but that's fairly caveat to family consent that I can see.