Thinking About An Abortion? In Iowa, That's Grounds For Imprisonment

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Alicia

Unfortunately, this is not a political satire post.

Last February, Christine Taylor of Iowa, a pregnant, unemployed, recently separated mother of two children, had a difficult conversation with her estranged husband. She became lightheaded and fell down a flight of stairs. Paramedics quickly arrived, declared her healthy, and left. Since she was pregnant, however, Ms. Taylor thought she should visit the local ER to make sure her fetus was unharmed by the fall.

Sounds reasonable, right?

But the story didn’t play out in a reasonable way, according to Roxann MtJoy of Change.org:

That’s when things got really bad and really crazy. Alone, distraught, and frightened, Taylor confided in the nurse treating her that she hadn’t always been sure she’d wanted this baby, now that she was single and unemployed. She’d considered both adoption and abortion before ultimately deciding to keep the child. The nurse then summoned a doctor, who questioned her further about her thoughts on ending the pregnancy. Next thing Taylor knew, she was being arrested for attempted feticide. Apparently the nurse and doctor thought that Taylor threw herself down the stairs on purpose.

Taylor was arrested for attempted feticide. After spending two days in jail, she was released.

An Iowa district attorney spent three weeks investigating the case, and declined to prosecute Taylor only because she was late in her second trimester at the time of the fall. The hospital staff thought she was early in her third trimester.

But the worst part yet about this story is the fact that the hospital staff broke a breach of confidentiality on behalf of a patient who was only asking for support and help. Instead of landing her in a safe, caring environment, they sent her to the cold cement floor and iron bars of a jail for two days—something that is far more harmful to the fetus than anything else they could have done.

So, take note: In Iowa, thinking about an abortion, and confiding about it to hospital staff, may unexpectedly land you in jail.

Submitted by volunteer editor Hillary G. Originally found on DailyKos.


This entry was posted in Health Care, Shocking, War on Women and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/DR.SEUSS1 Eric Susee

    Lawsuit, anyone?

  • http://www.facebook.com/julimyers Juli Myers

    And I thought that just “being in Iowa” was about as bad as it could get.

  • Anonymous

    And what great state are you from?

  • Anonymous

    I’m going to assume you’re not from Iowa and don’t know anyone from Iowa. Please don’t insult my home state. I genuinely enjoy living there.

  • Anonymous

    Really??? Iowa is one of the only states that recognizes marriages between all citizens as a constitutional right.

  • http://sybariticsinger.wordpress.com/ Megan Ihnen

    Just a note: this particular incident is from February 2010. Now that we are in March 2011, it may be misleading to write “last February” as in the February we just finished.

  • Anonymous

    If someone was considering abortion, why would they purposely fall down a flight of stairs so they could hopefully miscarry? Do these idiots realize that people can break their back or neck falling down a flight of stairs on purpose and become paralyzed? If the woman was going to have an abortion, she would have an abortion.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=563395150 Vicki Cupper

    Ladies, get ready to don your burkhas. I mean “Freedom Robes.”

  • Anonymous

    Abortion is wonderful, especially partial birth abortion, in which they crack open the head of the baby and suck its brains out. n

  • Anonymous

    Your comment just displayed your ignorance on the subject.

  • Anonymous

    Women in those foreign countries, by that I mean the nut case Bible Thumping parts of the USA, that was decided to make war on women, to keep them in their place, should conceder the expedient move, of moving to fairer lands, or get some “vacation insurance”. Plan Parenthood, should fights for women rights on two fronts, offer a travel package, lodging with friends, and medical services, for a small monthly insurance fee, then women would have the option if they so choose, to vote with their feet, for the services they needed, and not have to worry about the cost. This would change the dynamic in this debate, like RU487, if the physical location where you live, is not a bar to you getting what you want, you can live anywhere, it not try a move to saner climes. Start the program on line, and through community women’s and girl’s groups, offer memberships for free starting at age 14 for girls, give them a space to find answers, and offer the package at age 18, also allow a mother- daughter, aunt – niece, older – younger sister, package. Such a program is needed to protect women’s rights, no State or crazed politician should be able to tell women what they can do with their bodies. Singing we shall overcome is good,but using your combined economic power to ensure your rights is better.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OENF2N4RKQP44Y2NYXLZN3FMNY BrittneyP

    Only in the Midwest in America….you people are so stupid.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RM474PQIVHIIDIWYJRZFIQQDZQ Twayn

    Oh, there’s nothing halfwaynAbout the Iowa way to treat you,nWhen we treat younWhich we may not do at all.nThere’s an Iowa kind of specialnChip-on-the-shoulder attitude.nWe’ve never been without.nThat we recall.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=552412579 Moreyn Kamenir

    When will us women get it through our head that to the ‘right to life’ faction of America we are only useful for breeding purposes?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=552412579 Moreyn Kamenir

    No she wouldn’t ‘simply have an abortion if she wanted one’n if they’re not legal in the state that she lived in.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=552412579 Moreyn Kamenir

    The only problem I see with your brilliant concept is that the ‘right to life’ idiots are also attacking Planned Parenthood. PP is under SEVERE assault right now..the best thing we can do with our time and money right now is to come to the aid of this magnificent program and try to save IT before we add more programs to it.

  • Anonymous

    Thank you for your thoughts, I would agree with you that PP is under attack, the problem is that your enemies get to shot at you at will, and you have to defend every shot, PP needs to move the goal post, while I think every woman has a right to get reproductive services in her home state, This structure has served to restrict, or in some cases deny women their rights, as the other side only has to gain marginal control, of the legislatures which, are to a great extent already hostile to women’s rights, to impose onerous requirements on the women of that state. PP needs to move away from the out post model that they have persuade, and instead build a women’s service model, yes you live in a hostile state, it does not matter, your clinics become counseling centers and organizing centers, what ever service your members need, they travel to, in states, that do not abuse their women’s rights. The bottom line is that the women are not denied their rights because of geography, you take their location off the table, and in doing so remove the ability of your opponents to use government to take your rights. There is nothing new in what I am saying, wealthy women have never had a problem getting what ever service they wants in the country, they just got on a plane, give the same option to poor and middle class women, call it a vacation, arrange for travel and lodging with group members at her destination and transportation to services, also this could extended to taking care of other children if the group was cohesive enough. This is not an insurance plan which a state could regulate, this is a mutual assistance group run by PP charging a set monthly fee and guaranteeing that members would get first rate service here ever they lived, since the cost would be low, say $5,00 a month or $60.00 a year per member, a million member goal would give you 60 million dollars a year to invest to insure member services. Then States would not matter, women would take in their own hands, their own rights, and not have to beg, for what is rightfully theirs. the numbers are on your side if you use them, you are half the population, roughly 175 million women in this country, with a membership ages from 14 to 50 or older since the larger the group the larger the fund pool. The question is not whether you will use or ever need the service, the question is who has a right to say what you do with your body, I believe that should be you, not the state, and this would give you that freedom to choose.This is a rough out line, fill it in if you like, debate it with your friends, punch it, kick it, wring it out, think about it, but staying on the present course is a non winner, as you are restricted and striped of your rights state buy state. Shake up the game remember money is power, and if you offer women the power to choose their own fate without interference, they will take it.

  • Anonymous

    Well please explain it to me then doc

  • Anonymous

    Yeah? Where are you from? California or NY where same-sex marriage is illegal? It’s not in Iowa by the way.

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