A photo shows a pregnancy announcement from Heather Maberry and her husband Nick, February 2023.

Loading

Woman says she was forced to travel for an abortion despite her fetus’s fatal condition

A photo shows a pregnancy announcement from Heather Maberry and her husband Nick, February 2023.
ABC News

Woman says she was forced to travel for an abortion despite her fetus’s fatal condition

Synopsis

Heather Maberry learned she was pregnant just days before Christmas in 2022. But at her 20-week ultrasound, she discovered that her fetus had anencephaly, a fatal condition where the brain and skull are not fully developed. She was devastated, but Kentucky’s rigid abortion ban prevented her from receiving an abortion in her home state. She would have to travel out of state to receive the care she needed. 

In Mary Ketatos’ reporting for ABC News, she follows Heather’s journey to an abortion clinic in Chicago to get abortion care. Heather expressed her frustration with the Kentucky abortion ban, saying that it is unfair for male legislators to decide what pregnant people can and cannot do with their bodies.

Allowing patients to have a choice in how long they have to continue this for — given the negative outcome that they’re gonna face — is really important.
Read the full story on ABCNews.com