Nevaeh Crain, Josseli Barnica, and their babies are victims of medical malpractice aggravated by inaccurate and politically-motivated media reporting.
ProPublica published two articles this week stating the young mothers died “under Texas’ abortion ban.” Every American who grieves these deaths should ask why journalists continue to lead doctors to believe they cannot treat women in medical emergencies. Nevaeh Crain, her daughter, Lillian, and Josseli Barnica should not have died. The media has put pregnant women and their preborn children needlessly at risk by misrepresenting the law, in spite of new guidelines from the Texas Medical Board.
Texas’ Pro-Life policies protect the mother as much as they protect the preborn baby. If the woman develops a serious condition, physicians don’t have to check for a heartbeat under state law; they don’t have to check the child’s age; they simply must intervene to save the mother, which often occurs by delivering the baby via C-section or induction.
Doctors should have done everything they could to save Josseli, Nevaeh, and their children. These tragedies arise when medical professionals believe corrupt coverage instead of following the law to treat pregnant women in emergencies.
Americans should have sympathy for the Crain and Barnica families, and should be rightly outraged at media outlets that would rather advance an agenda even at the expense of women and babies.