I never thought about how abortion rights impacts women until I was diagnosed as high risk at 11 weeks for my baby to have Trisomy 21.
After processing and deciding to continue my pregnancy, my baby started growing fluid all over his body. My high risk doctor predicted he would [either] be a miscarriage or stillborn. I was monitored weekly for fetal heartbeat and changes.
Every week that I went in for screening, the prognosis was worse and it felt like torture going in each week waiting for my son’s heartbeat to stop. I looked for funding for weeks and it was not until I spoke with Cobalt that I was able to find help.
By the time I received funding my baby had grown cystic hygroma on his skull, neck, spine, and chest and I was told he was no longer growing and definitely would not make it pass 20 weeks. The thought of having to labor and push him out only to have to bury him was frightening and too hard to emotionally handle.
This has been the hardest thing to ever endure in my life but Cobalt was here with compassion and provided the assistance I needed to get the procedure done so that I can move on and emotionally heal from this experience.
Abortion rights are not black and white. There are several of reasons a woman may need an abortion besides just wanting to rid a pregnancy. My baby was slowly dying and living in a state that doesn’t support abortions, I had to go in weekly to watch him get worse. It’s an experience that took something from me each week as I watched him decline. I wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone.
I can’t say enough about this foundation. My son had no fetal heartbeat when I made it to the clinic. Had I not had funding I would have had to either go through labor to expel his remains or carry my son for another week with no heartbeat until the only doctor in my county that would complete a DNC at 17 weeks returned from vacation. I am so grateful for being able to complete the procedure and not having to prolong what was already a hard process. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Cobalt and all those who donate to make this funding possible!