A Pregnant Mother at Risk of Heart Failure Couldn’t Get Urgent Treatment. She Died Waiting for an Abortion.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words on healthcare still ring true

Three years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, he spoke at the Medical Committee for Human Rights’ second convention. At a press conference, Dr. King stated, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death.”

Almost 60 years later, Dr. King’s words still ring true.

Last week, ProPublica published a report on Ciji Graham – the mother of a 2-year-old son, a sister to 9 younger siblings, and a police officer – who died after being denied timely, lifesaving abortion care because of North Carolina’s state restrictions.

According to new reporting from ProPublica, Ciji died after being forced to wait nearly two weeks for an abortion, even after developing serious medical complications that put her at risk of stroke and heart failure.

The delay was a direct result of North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban and its requirements for medically unnecessary in-person counseling and waiting periods. She was denied care by the hospital and sent home, where she did not survive.

In a region that had legislated its commitment to life, Ciji would spend her final days struggling to find anyone to save hers. —ProPublica

Ciji Graham should be alive today. Abortion bans have already done so much damage, and our reproductive rights continue to be on the line. From birth control to IVF, to the decision if and when to start a family – everything is at stake.

The best way to fight these attacks on our rights is to understand what is going on in your state, talk to your friends and family, and find a TroubleNation group near you that works to protect reproductive freedom.