Nancy Davis – ‘I have to carry my baby to bury my baby’

An expectant Louisiana woman, Nancy Davis, has finalised plans to travel to North Carolina to end her pregnancy because she is carrying a skull-less foetus that would pass away almost immediately after birth.

Nancy Davis, 36, claims that her local healthcare provider refused to perform the procedure because she was unsure whether the state’s abortion ban prohibited it. She was left with the option of carrying the foetus to term or travelling several states away for an abortion.

Following the US Supreme Court’s decision in June to eliminate national abortion rights that had been in place since the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, Louisiana is one of the American states that has outlawed abortion with only a few exceptions.

At around 10 weeks gestation in late July, Davis’ foetus was found to be missing the top of its skull during an ultrasound at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. This condition, known as acrania, is a rare but devastating one that kills infants within days, if not hours, of birth.

Hospital administrators declined to end Davis’ pregnancy because acrania was not specifically listed on Louisiana’s list of medical conditions allowing for an exception to the state’s ban on abortions. They may have been concerned about facing jail time, hefty fines, and the loss of their business licences if they had carried out the procedure.

Read more: Woman May be Forced to Give Birth to a Headless Baby

Through a GoFundMe campaign, Davis raised money and secured travel plans for her and her partner Cole to North Carolina. The campaign attracted more than 1,000 donors. Abortions are permitted there up until the 20th week of pregnancy.

Cole urged people to try to put themselves in Davis and the rest of her family’s shoes on Friday after they learned that their unborn child had a fatal illness and had to be aborted, forcing them to leave for North Carolina.

“It’s really complex – it’s really difficult,” Cole said. “From afar, it’s really easy to have an opinion about something … but you don’t understand how complex it is” until you personally go through it.

Davis added: “This is not fair to me, and it should not happen to any other woman.

“Being a mother starts when the baby is inside the womb, not on the outside, the attachment and everything that comes with it. As a mother, as a parent, it’s my obligation to have my children’s best interests at heart.”

Also Read: Abortion Saves Lives Says A Priest