Their fetus had a fatal condition, but they couldn't leave Texas for an abortion
Her name was Halo, and she was born last week, on March 29, two months early and weighing 3 pounds. She lived for four hours, dying in the arms of her father, Luis Villasana.
Her mother asked the OB-GYN what her options were: "Well, because of the new law, you don't have any options. You have to go on with your pregnancy."
Texas has among the #strictest #abortion #laws in the country, with three overlapping bans. One abortion ban predated Roe v. Wade, another was triggered when Roe was overturned and comes with a maximum penalty of #life in #prison #for #providing an #abortion in Texas. There's also SB-8, which allows people to bring civil charges for "#aiding or #abetting" an #abortion in the state
Halo's mother, Samantha Casiano, knew their baby wouldn't survive long because she had #anencephaly – part of Halo's brain and skull never developed.
Now, they can't afford to give their newborn daughter the funeral they would like to give her. "I was told that she's incompatible with life," she says. "I was crushed."
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/06/1168399423/a-good-friday-funeral-in-texas-baby-halos-parents-had-few-choices-in-post-roe-te