When American professor Erica Goldblatt Hyatt was twenty weeks pregnant in 2012, she learned her unborn baby had a rare congenital condition and was unlikely to make it to term.
Doctors diagnosed her son with Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome, meaning his trachea had not formed. He also had a chromosomal abnormality, Trisomy 16, which can often lead to miscarriage.
Speaking on today’s episode of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast, Erica tells Róisín Ingle about her decision to end the pregnancy, a choice she says was available to her because of America’s unrestricted access to abortion.
In response to the US Supreme Court ruling last week to overturn Roe v Wade, she says ”The implications of this are staggering and it’s truly an assault on our human rights”
In this episode, we also hear from American journalist, poet and essayist Katha Pollitt who, despite the row back on women’s reproductive rights, is remaining hopeful that all is not lost.
”In the end I think we’ll win, the world tendency is towards more abortion rights, not fewer” she says.
Not underestimating the difficult road ahead however, she adds “take your vitamins, it’s going to be a long fight”
