K Monica Kelly had to travel to Florida for an abortion after her fetus was diagnosed with trisomy 13 – now she’s part of a group suing her state

K Monica Kelly had to travel to Florida for an abortion after her fetus was diagnosed with trisomy 13 – now she’s part of a group suing her state

When K Monica Kelly saw that women in Texas had filed a lawsuit challenging the contours of their state’s abortion ban, she posted on Instagram to cheer them on.

“I shared how terrible I thought it was, that they weren’t able to get the proper healthcare they needed in their state,” Kelly said. “It never crossed my mind that that was actually going to happen to me soon.”

Kelly and her husband spent a year trying to have a second baby. So when they discovered in February 2023 that Kelly was pregnant, the couple was ecstatic. They taught their son, who was then two years old, to describe their family as: “Mama, dada, me, baby, all four!” After an ultrasound looked promising, and they drove more than 10 hours from their home in northern Tennessee to announce the news to their family in Florida.

Only days later, after they’d returned home, in late March, the pair drove back to Florida. This time, though, the drive was “surreal and devastating”, Kelly said. A series of catastrophic fetal diagnoses had led Kelly to decide to get an abortion – a procedure she could not legally get in Tennessee.

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
    3·
    10 months ago

    “Are oppressive laws passed by Republicans the Democrats fault?”

    When they have the power to change it and don’t?

    Absolutely.

    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
      16·
      10 months ago

      When have the Democrats had a 2/3 majority necessary to bring a Constitutional Amendment to vote?

      Because that’s the only legal path to over riding the Supreme Court’s ruling.

    • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
      8·
      10 months ago

      …but they don’t have the power to change it? Mainly because people keep voting for Republicans come rain or shine, vote for Democrats when the syzzergy of planets is correct and the tea leaves are vibing and they didn’t see a green car on voting day, and vote for a 3rd party literally never even if it would kill them not to.

      And I say this as someone who desperately wishes the 3rd party option was half as good as the UK’s options.

      • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
        2·
        10 months ago

        And I say this as someone who desperately wishes the 3rd party option was half as good as the UK’s options.

        You say this as someone who doesn’t care about outcomes, because all you’ve seen for the last 40 years is gradual, but inevitable conservative outcomes, and you’re going to pretend voting Democrat changes that anyway.

        • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
          12·
          10 months ago

          I’m reading what you are saying. What you said is because Democrats have never the had power to make the changes you want, you will put Republicans in charge.

        • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
          7·
          10 months ago

          I propose we all vote for a third party instead.

          Uh huh…

          Do you have any realistic suggestions?

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
          7·
          10 months ago

          So you want the Republicans to be in charge.

          If you want any viable third party, you need to be pushing for election reform at the state/local level. I’d prefer the Star system, but even ranked choice would be better than FPTP. The system was designed to be difficult to change at the federal level, but easy to change at the local level.