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jerseygirl81
member
Another super disturbing post re: rights of pregnant women
jerseygirl81
member
Pregnant Iowa Woman Arrested for Falling Down
Life can't get much worse for Christine Taylor. Last month, after an upsetting phone conversation with her estranged husband, Ms. Taylor became light-headed and fell down a flight of stairs in her home. Paramedics rushed to the scene and ultimately declared her healthy. However, since she was pregnant with her third child at the time, Taylor thought it would be best to be seen at the local ER to make sure her fetus was unharmed.
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.
According to Iowa state law, attempted feticide is an trying "to intentionally terminate a human pregnancy, with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, after the end of the second trimester of the pregnancy." At least 37 states have similar laws. Taylor spent two days in jail before being released. That's right, a pregnant woman was jailed for admitting to thinking about an abortion at some point early in her pregnancy and then having the audacity to fall down some stairs a couple of months later. Please tell me you find this as horrifying as I do.
The District Attorney -- after three weeks of investigation -- eventually declined to prosecute Taylor. Before you get too happy, keep in mind that this decision was made, not because the arrest was travesty to begin with, but because it came to light that Taylor was late in her second trimester when she fell, not early in her third as the hospital staff had thought. I guess you are allowed to trip and fall in the first two-thirds of your pregnancy in Iowa, but do so in your last third and the long arm of the law will grab you by your swollen ankles.
Of all the horrible, shocking elements to this case, perhaps one of the worst is the breach of confidentiality on the part of the hospital staff. Christine Taylor came to them emotionally vulnerable in order to seek help for her unborn child. She thought she was in a safe place talking to professionals in whom she could confide. Oops, her bad. As Robert Rigg, professor at the Drake University Law School, said, "How in the heck did the police get a statement made by a patient to a medical person during the course of treatment?
Sadly, this is already the second time this year I've written about an innocent pregnant woman held against her will. What is wrong with people that they think that this is okay? Christine Taylor sure doesn't know. This ordeal has turned her life upside and made finding a job that much harder. I guess we've all learned a valuable lesson: when pregnant, you should always act ridiculously happy about it, regardless of circumstances. And, for heaven's sake, don't dare fall down.
Charlie 8.06.08
Emeline 5.28.13
My Blog
Post-Baby PRs
Esri 5K 7.16.2014 - 21:30
Heart Half Marathon 3.16.2014 - 1:43:30
Canton City Marathon 9.8.14 - 3:30:56
Emeline 5.28.13
My Blog
Post-Baby PRs
Esri 5K 7.16.2014 - 21:30
Heart Half Marathon 3.16.2014 - 1:43:30
Canton City Marathon 9.8.14 - 3:30:56
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Another super disturbing post re: rights of pregnant women
Emeline 5.28.13
My Blog
Post-Baby PRs
Esri 5K 7.16.2014 - 21:30
Heart Half Marathon 3.16.2014 - 1:43:30
Canton City Marathon 9.8.14 - 3:30:56
Tyler Anthony arrived on 9.21.09
The Chronicles of Justin and Tyler
This
I know I have heard this story before but I don't know how true it is. Does anyone have a credible, non-biased source for this story? The only places I have found it online are blogs and other non-journalist sites - and they all use the same verbiage with no direct comment from Ms. Taylor, hospital spokespeople, police spokespeople, or DA representatives which makes me suspicious. I find it hard to believe that absolutely no one involved in the case made a public statement about it. I haven't been able to find it on any reputable news site or on any local Iowa news sites. But then again, I can't find it on Snopes either so maybe that lends credence to it.
It's just this strikes me as the kind of event that would hit a local consumer advocacy reporter and make it to the nighttime news much as arrests for breastfeeding in public do. Since it isn't on any verifiable news source I am not sure how accurate it is. That's the skeptic in me.
Jersey - did your professor have a substantiated source for this that you can link to?
ETA: I guess I should add that the Des Moines Register link doesn't work for me. It doesn't open a page. Is anyone else able to link to the actual article?
Wasn't a professor, just a discussion group I belong to. I'll see if I can track down the original source.
Emeline 5.28.13
My Blog
Post-Baby PRs
Esri 5K 7.16.2014 - 21:30
Heart Half Marathon 3.16.2014 - 1:43:30
Canton City Marathon 9.8.14 - 3:30:56
Emeline 5.28.13
My Blog
Post-Baby PRs
Esri 5K 7.16.2014 - 21:30
Heart Half Marathon 3.16.2014 - 1:43:30
Canton City Marathon 9.8.14 - 3:30:56
Thanks. Here, I found this one as well from what appears to be an online news paper but at least it has contact info for a real author and has some additional info not in the other articles. The Des Moines Register makes you pay for full article text out of archives (screw them!). It, unfortunately, looks like this might indeed be true. Too bad, I was hoping it was an urban legend and that our society isn't really that twisted.
For real. I always snope-check links before I post them, so when it didn't show up over there I was thinking it was probably legit.
Emeline 5.28.13
My Blog
Post-Baby PRs
Esri 5K 7.16.2014 - 21:30
Heart Half Marathon 3.16.2014 - 1:43:30
Canton City Marathon 9.8.14 - 3:30:56