Thread by @maiamimi

1. This is @HaylieGrammer's story. She has given me her blessing to share it. Please share & remember Haylie & her baby when you #vote.
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"I recently saw an article about Senator Gary Peters & his experience with abortion. It reminded me that people need to hear my story too...

2. Four and a half years ago, I gave birth to my daughter, Embree Eleanor. She was born via c-section & weighed 4lbs 4oz. Embree was born with a tumor the size of a volleyball and she lived 25 minutes.

We found out about the tumor just 5 weeks before.

3. The tumor was sucking her blood, pushing her organs, deforming her body, and overworking her heart. In the 5 weeks we'd known about it, the tumor grew from the size of a walnut to the volleyball.

Those 5 weeks were the hardest of my life.

4. I had sonograms twice a week, traveled across the state to visit specialists, & we were told over and over that our sweet baby would probably not make it. We had a choice to make.

5. The state of Texas allows for abortions after 20 weeks if the pregnancy is life-threatening to the mother or the fetus has "abnormalities." We qualified for this.

But even though I have always been pro-choice, I never thought I'd have an abortion myself. And I had hope.

6. I had hope that Embree would be healed. Hope that the tumor would stop growing. So we chose to continue the pregnancy. I was hoping that if I could carry her a few more weeks, maybe, just maybe, modern medicine & prayers could keep her alive.

7. The doctors closely monitored both Embree & me. Even though Embree was still alive, she was not in good shape. She was developing Hydrops & I was at risk of developing mirror syndrome, which would be life-threatening to me if it fully developed.

8. On April 22, my doctors told me it was time to make a decision. Not only was I starting to develop the beginnings of mirror syndrome, but we were 2 weeks away from 27 weeks. And at 27 weeks, I would no longer be able to deliver Embree via c-section in the state of Texas.

9. Why? Because according to Texas law, by choosing to deliver this early, I was having an abortion. And while at 24.5 weeks I was in the grey area of Texas law where I could deliver her, at 27 weeks I would not be.

Surprised this is considered an abortion?

Stay with me.

10. We scheduled the c-section for that Monday. I would be at 25 weeks. We were past the age of viability but had become clear that Embree wouldn't make it. The NICU doctors decided that they would not be making life-saving attempts on Embree after she was born.

11. This meant that, officially, we were choosing to have an abortion. We were giving birth to our child early, knowing that she would not survive. This is what a "late-term abortion" looks like.

12. It was the worst and longest weekend of our lives. We knew that in 2 days, we would be meeting our daughter & also letting her go. This is what a late-term abortion looks like.

13. Texas, like most states with a large majority of people who claim to be "pro-life," has many restrictions to prevent abortions. Here's the thing about abortion laws: they don't differentiate between what we went through & what "pro-life" groups think they are stopping.

14. Texas law said that to give birth, we had to do the following: 1) We had to go to the hospital a day before giving birth to formally request an abortion. Now, in the records of Texas, there will forever be a piece of paper saying that I aborted my precious Embree.

15. 2) Our doctor had to give me a pamphlet saying if I had the abortion, I'd suffer from depression & anxiety for the rest of my life, have an increased risk of breast cancer, & maybe become infertile. Think I'm kidding? Have a look: bit.ly/2HAP8Za

16. I know you may be thinking, "that's different. That's not what I'm fighting against. I don't consider that abortion."

Great. YOU might not consider what we went through to be an abortion, but the law says that it was. I had a late-term abortion.

17. So, why am I telling you this?

Because when people fight to end "abortion," they are talking about this too. When you hear about "late-term abortions," THIS is what is usually happening.

18. Late-term abortion is women & their families devastated that they have to decide whether to let their baby suffer in the womb or end their suffering. "Pro-life" laws are designed to make this traumatic experience even more difficult. And this experience is horrible enough.

19. When people talk about saving babies & being "pro-life," I cringe. Not because I don't want to save babies, but because I DO. I want to save babies from the suffering they are made to endure because some man with no medical training decided he knows better than doctors.

20. I cringe because I know these "pro-life" laws are used to trick women into voting against their own interests in the name of saving the unborn. I cringe when people call those who vote in favor of pro-choice laws "murderers," because they are saying I murdered my Embree.

21. I gave birth on April 25, 2016, via c-section. I had a late-term abortion. I did it because it was the only way I could hold her while she lived, the only way I could encounter her soul until we meet in heaven.
This is why I am pro-choice. Remember Embree & me when you vote."