3 ms·

Are you saying the solution to maternity related deaths is abortion here? Eliminating maternal death by eliminating maternity? I don't understand.

malfist 4y ago
It is certainly one alternative here. Not the only. There's no reason abortion should be safe, legal and rare. And there's no reason we should be having such a high rate of preventable maternity related deaths.
mnd999 4y ago
kube-system 4y ago
There are some pregnancies which are dangerous to the mother's health. When it is difficult or impossible for those patients to get treatment, they will die at higher rates.
petsfed 4y ago
The core of the argument is that for a significant number of these deaths (especially mental health or substance abuse related), if the mothers had been allowed to abort the baby, they would be in addition allowed to get the mental health or substance abuse issues under control. Of course, they might not get those issues under control. They might still have died of substance abuse or suicide. But the stress of being a new mother is well known (if not well understood or well supported by society or the American medical system - clearly). If a person is already predisposed to substance abuse and/or self-harm, maybe the additional impacts of post-partum mental conditions would push them further down that road. Especially as it pertains to the maternal-mortality/abortion discussion, I think its important to remember that the would-be mother's material conditions are not guaranteed to be static over the course of the pregnancy and post-partum period. The decision to conceive might be made in accordance with the best possible medical and financial advice, and still result in a bad situation for mother or child at the end of it all. My wife had a pretty easy time with both of our kids, but I am constantly haunted by stories from folks who made the same decisions we did, and lost mother, child, or both.
- pyuser583 4y ago
  Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are common mental illnesses. Postpartum. These are women who don’t present with symptoms of mental illness until after birth. This isn’t an edge case. This is common. How is abortion going to help here? Also … you say: > if the mothers had been allowed to abort the baby, they would be in addition allowed to get the mental health or substance abuse issues under control. There are lots of social services available to pregnant women and new mothers. Including screening for mental illness. Are similar services available to women undergoing abortions? You seem to imply there are.
panzagl 4y ago
I think he's pointing to the hypocrisy of political agendas that value the life of a baby more before it's born than after.
watwut 4y ago
Actually, yes, some deaths and suffering would be preventable if doctors did not had to wait till the pregnant woman is septic or otherwise in acute life threatening situation. In some cases, ending pregnancy is how you eliminate maternal death.

malfist 4y ago

It is certainly one alternative here. Not the only. There's no reason abortion should be safe, legal and rare. And there's no reason we should be having such a high rate of preventable maternity related deaths.

mnd999 4y ago

kube-system 4y ago

There are some pregnancies which are dangerous to the mother's health. When it is difficult or impossible for those patients to get treatment, they will die at higher rates.

petsfed 4y ago

The core of the argument is that for a significant number of these deaths (especially mental health or substance abuse related), if the mothers had been allowed to abort the baby, they would be in addition allowed to get the mental health or substance abuse issues under control. Of course, they might not get those issues under control. They might still have died of substance abuse or suicide. But the stress of being a new mother is well known (if not well understood or well supported by society or the American medical system - clearly). If a person is already predisposed to substance abuse and/or self-harm, maybe the additional impacts of post-partum mental conditions would push them further down that road. Especially as it pertains to the maternal-mortality/abortion discussion, I think its important to remember that the would-be mother's material conditions are not guaranteed to be static over the course of the pregnancy and post-partum period. The decision to conceive might be made in accordance with the best possible medical and financial advice, and still result in a bad situation for mother or child at the end of it all. My wife had a pretty easy time with both of our kids, but I am constantly haunted by stories from folks who made the same decisions we did, and lost mother, child, or both.

pyuser583 4y ago
Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are common mental illnesses. Postpartum. These are women who don’t present with symptoms of mental illness until after birth. This isn’t an edge case. This is common. How is abortion going to help here? Also … you say: > if the mothers had been allowed to abort the baby, they would be in addition allowed to get the mental health or substance abuse issues under control. There are lots of social services available to pregnant women and new mothers. Including screening for mental illness. Are similar services available to women undergoing abortions? You seem to imply there are.

panzagl 4y ago

I think he's pointing to the hypocrisy of political agendas that value the life of a baby more before it's born than after.

watwut 4y ago

Actually, yes, some deaths and suffering would be preventable if doctors did not had to wait till the pregnant woman is septic or otherwise in acute life threatening situation. In some cases, ending pregnancy is how you eliminate maternal death.