Naval officer Gwen was 14 weeks pregnant when she learned her baby had trisomy 13, a chromosomal condition her physician said was “not compatible with life.” Gwen, who was stationed in Japan at the time, was on the military healthcare program and had limited options.
The medical approach to managing a miscarriage is similar to terminating a pregnancy, which her military plan would not cover. With the military plan, Gwen’s only option was to wait until she reached 26 weeks and then deliver her baby stillborn. She described in You’re the Only One I’ve Told how she said hello and goodbye to her baby within the same moment.
Not having options while in the midst of an agonizing loss was traumatizing to the couple. And in 2022, state laws that now restrict abortion access have complicated how physicians care for patients experiencing a miscarriage. In some instances, patients have suffered complications because physicians are afraid to intervene and face accusations of providing an illegal abortion.
