Abortion Ban Even For Genetic Defects Troubling In An Era Of Budget Cutting

[TheMastersNemesis]

We know a couple who had a severely disabled child that required 24 hour medical care. They received nurse aid assistance through state Medicaid and the husband fortunately had a good job where the employer allowed him flexible hours. The child lived for nearly 18 years and passed away shortly before he would become ineligible for assistance at 18.

This couple were virtually home bound for all those years taking care of their son with the help of the other siblings that grew up with the situation. The hardships were tremendous and the child was virtually on a feeding tube his entire life. He could not move or dress himself or do any other necessary activity. And the child was barely aware.

The child also nearly died several times and was in the hospital. Had it not been for Medicaid and other factors this family could not have survived financially.

So now in North Dakota if you have an unborn child whose is even brain dead and could survive for years, you will have to have it and support all the medical care at a time when the GOP wants to cut all disability and safety net programs.

What they are demanding is truly insane.

[cali]

1. It certainly is and thanks for posting this OP

[TheMastersNemesis]

2. The Family That I Mentioned Were Going To Lose ALL Medicaid Assistance When The Child Turned 18

They were facing losing their nurse aide assistant and nurse assistance about 10 months ago. The young man died just a short time before the family would have had to pay for all that care themselves. That included all the medical apparatus they needed to keep him alive.

We could go over for Christmas eve. And it was really hard to witness the hardship the family was having. And still they were devastated when the child passed.

Last Christmas Eve we were at their home and the pressure on the family was off from that standpoint, yet they still were sad about the death. Yet they were desperate before the disabled child died because they were facing having to abandom him or find a way for the state to take care of him.

When I was at DOL the state had a home for the severely disabled that was not a nice place and was severely underfunded by our GOP controlled legislature. The GOP eventually closed that facility altogether.

[MH1]

3. Creating Kafka-esque scenarios.

Something the right wing does very well. Probably 99% of the right wing doesn't understand "Kafka-esque" because a) they never read Kafka and b) they do not have the level of empathy or imagination to grasp the realities they are forcing on other people.

[spinbaby]

4. Genetic defects are usually detected fairly late in pregnancy

Defects such as trisomy 18 are typically detected at four or five months of pregnancy and can severely endanger the mother's life. I knew a woman whose baby had triploidy—three sets of chromosomes instead of two—a condition incompatible with life. And still she had to wait for the baby to die before her insurance would pay for the D&E. That it may become illegal to abort such pregnancies boggles the mind.