Ex anti-abortion advocate rethinks her views after being forced to carry dead baby
The now 31-year-old mother from South Carolina believed at the time that she was doing the right thing but she is now unable to terminate her pregnancy, even after her baby has died.
Weber was overjoyed to be pregnant again, naming the child Enzo despite not knowing the gender because, in her heart, she felt certain it was a boy.
However, at Weber's nine-week ultrasound, doctors couldn't find a heartbeat. They told her the fetus measured just over six weeks, about the size of a pea.
Follow-up tests confirmed that the baby had died. Her doctors recommended a termination to avoid infection or a potentially life-threatening hemorrhage.
But, because of South Carolina's near-total abortion ban after six weeks she was forced to carry the non-viable pregnancy for weeks.
In a tearful video posted online, Weber said: 'I grew up very Conservative Christian. We stood outside of abortion clinics. Like, that was my growing-up years.
'But what you guys need to understand with these laws is it's not just people who are going having elective abortions that are being affected... because my baby is dead, my baby doesn't have a heartbeat, my baby is gone, but I am not allowed to do anything about it.'
She added: 'I just sit here and wait for another week and suffer and have a chance at hemorrhaging and have a chance at infection all because of these stupid laws.'
South Carolina imposed a six-week fetal heartbeat law in May 2023, which forbids all abortions after week six, around the same time a fetal heartbeat is first detected.
The few exceptions include when the pregnant mother is experiencing a medical emergency or fetal anomaly, and in cases of rape or incest reported to law enforcement during the first trimester.
In cases where a heartbeat is not detected at six weeks, patients are still asked to wait at least another two weeks to prove that the pregnancy is non-viable and that due care has been taken, according to lawyers in the state.
After doctors first concluded Weber's baby was dead, she was sent home to try to miscarry the fetus naturally.
But her morning sickness continued and she did not miscarry, leading her to return to doctors asking for a termination.
They refused, saying they could not end the pregnancy unless she was hemorrhaging or suffering from sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection.
Weber then went to another hospital, where tests showed that her white blood cell count was very high, suggesting that she had an infection, but they also concluded that they could not end the pregnancy.
What followed was a grueling three-week wait before doctors finally made the decision that they were legally able to end the pregnancy.
Weber had a dilation and curettage, where the cervix is dilated using medication and a surgical instrument is inserted to gently remove the tissue lining the uterus, ending the pregnancy.
The mother is heartbroken by the process, saying it forced her to take weeks off work and delayed her getting the chance to mourn her dead baby.
She has since set up a GoFundMe to help cover expenses, which has so far raised $5,211 out of the $6,500 goal.
Weber has three other children aged six, five, and 18 months. She also had a son who died in 2018 from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
The mother is no longer an ultra-conservative and said she has left her religion and did not vote for President Donald Trump.
She was a member of the International House Of Prayer, an ultra-Christian group that often takes a pro-life view on abortion.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Wendy Williams finally responds to shocking dementia test results
Wendy Williams has finally responded to claims about her health that went public this week, in connection with her new medical evaluation. The former daytime TV queen has been living at a luxury assisted-living facility in New York since being placed under court-ordered guardianship in 2022. The legal arrangement, which gave control of her personal and financial affairs to a court-appointed guardian, came after her bank flagged concerns about her mental health and potential financial exploitation. Williams was diagnosed in 2023 with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, but she insists she's not incapacitated and wants out of the guardianship, claiming she's being controlled against her will. Results from her new medical evaluation — described as involving 'a significant number of tests, both medical and neuropsychological, and scans including brain imaging' — prompted doctors to issue an opinion regarding Williams' neurological condition and diagnosis, according to legal documents obtained by People on Tuesday. While the paperwork itself does not explicitly list her condition, sources claimed the exams confirmed Williams has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia - and now she has issued a retort to the allegation. She declared this Saturday that her attorneys were 'highly upset' about the recent coverage surrounding her present state of health, via Page Six. Williams was also asked if she wanted to say anything to her guardian Sabrina Morrissey, but replied only that 'I want to say hi to my attorneys, Allan Diamond and Joe Tacopina. And I will get out of guardianship.' She made the remarks while arriving for dinner at the New York restaurant Tucci's, arm in arm with the eatery's owner Max Tucci. In the new documents, an attorney representing Morrissey requested that the court extend the guardianship for an additional three months, setting a proposed end date of November 5. The attorney also noted that 'complications have arisen' because various parties — including counsel for certain family members, Williams' ex-husband, and others — have indicated plans to challenge both the guardianship itself and Ms. Morrissey's role as guardian. The news came almost a month after Williams and powerhouse attorney Joe Tacopina were spotted outside Scott's restaurant in NYC, where they confirmed a lawsuit is coming. 'Those responsible for her status, her, basically, incarceration, will be held accountable,' Tacopina told TMZ. 'There's no question about that.' Results from her new medical evaluation — described as involving 'a significant number of tests, both medical and neuropsychological, and scans including brain imaging' — prompted doctors to issue an opinion regarding Williams' neurological condition and diagnosis, according to legal documents; (seen in 2019) He didn't hold back, adding: 'This guardian process is scary. She was misdiagnosed.' 'What's next is hopefully justice,' Tacopina continued. 'This process has been so long, it's really despicably slow.' Then, gesturing toward Wendy, he added, 'This is Wendy, the same Wendy, we've had conversation over six months, she's the same Wendy Williams that you know from TV. She belongs in a facility like I belong in a facility.' 'She is a person in control of her faculties and is a great human being… and it sickens me… this isn't a case for me, it's a cause…' Wendy jumped in with a laugh, saying, 'I just had a birthday and I'm still in a guardianship. If that doesn't say enough, I don't know what does.' Tacopina wrapped it up with a clear mission: 'My goal for now and the priority is to get her back home.' He added, 'Wherever home is… where she can come and go as she pleases.' Wendy was placed under the guardianship of Sabrina Morrissey in 2022—and in a bombshell court filing last November, Morrissey claimed Williams was 'permanently incapacitated' due to her dementia battle. In March, Wendy made a bold move by retaining a new legal team to fight for her freedom and challenge the court-ordered arrangement. The star hired Tacopina - who recently represented A$AP Rocky - to help secure her freedom from her three-year conservatorship. Since then, a #FreeWendy movement has gained momentum. In a dramatic moment caught on camera in early April, Williams was seen banging on her facility window while supporters rallied in the street below, demanding she be released.
Times
17 minutes ago
- Times
What Putin said and what he meant, with a flash of sharp teeth
Unlike his American counterpart, President Putin chooses his words carefully. His closing remarks after his meeting with President Trump on Friday speak volumes both for what he did and did not say. • Trump-Putin meeting: follow the latest updates Putin pitched this meeting as an opportunity to bring US-Russian relations back on track — and in effect, to relegate the Ukraine issue to the sidelines. His well-known obsession with history, even if a deeply slanted version that suits his political needs, was soon in evidence. After praising the way the talks had been 'held in a constructive atmosphere of mutual respect', he quickly moved on to stressing not just that the meeting in Alaska highlighted the degree to which Russia and the United States, 'though separated by the oceans, are close neighbours' — just 2.4 miles apart at the closest point — but also that there was much shared history. (Of course, Alaska had been Russian until it was sold to America in 1867.) In the closed-door talks, Trump was apparently spared the kind of 30-minute lecture with which Putin began his interview with the US journalist Tucker Carlson. Instead, in both those talks and his public statement, Putin tried to mobilise history to develop his fundamental point: that Russia and America ought to be allies rather than adversaries. On his way to Anchorage, Putin had stopped over in Magadan in the Russian far east, where he made a point of laying flowers at the 'Heroes of Alsib' memorial commemorating pilots killed on the Alaska-Siberia route in the Second World War, when the US was helping to supply the Soviets. Noting that Soviet pilots had also been buried at a cemetery close to the airbase where the meeting with Trump was held, Putin offered a little light flattery to 'the citizens and the government of the US for carefully taking care of their memory. I think that's very worthy and noble'. He continued to make the point: 'We'll always remember other historical examples when our countries defeated common enemies together in the spirit of battle camaraderie and allyship that supported each other and facilitated each other.' In other words, when Moscow and Washington co-operate, no one can stand in their way. Putin here presented the war as something of a distraction which has unnecessarily interrupted co-operation between two great nations. 'This time has been very hard for bilateral relations, and let's be frank, they've fallen to the lowest point since the Cold War,' he said. 'I think that's not benefiting our countries and the world as a whole. It is apparent that sooner or later, we have to amend the situation to move on from the confrontation to dialogue.' This was Putin sounding conciliatory, yet wanting to have his cake and eat it: to restate his fundamental position, while posing as a peacemaker. The tell comes a few moments later. • Four key moments from Trump-Putin press conference This is Putin's usual code for demands that Kyiv must surrender territory, be barred from Nato membership and shrink its military to a level that leaves it perpetually vulnerable. He emphasised that from his perspective 'to make the settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict.' He is of course not talking about the unprovoked Russian invasion that started the war (which he ordered) but rather the supposedly 'legitimate concerns of Russia' and the need 'to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world' which would be more advantageous to Moscow. Meanwhile, he invoked what sounded like kinship with the Ukrainians, adding even that 'naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well'. This might have surprised those Ukrainian civilians hiding in their air raid shelters at the time. However, his claim that Russians have 'always considered the Ukrainian nation … a brotherly nation' as 'we have the same roots' was really just a sugar-coated rendition of his usual claim that Ukraine is not really a genuine country, more an annexe of a greater Russia. It is not yet clear what Putin meant by this arch suggestion. The official translation of his word ponimanie is 'agreements' but really the looser 'understandings' is more accurate. We therefore don't know if there is any framework for an agreement — although there are recurring suggestions of a halt to mutual air attacks on Russia and Ukraine's cities and infrastructure — or just a sense of progress being made. In any case, Putin was astute enough not to dwell on this too much and instead to refocus on the Russian and American relationship. First he dangled the benefit to the United States of improved dialogue with Russia. 'It is clear that the US and Russian investment and business co-operation has tremendous potential,' he said. 'Russia and the US can offer each other so much in trade, digital, high tech and in space exploration. We see that Arctic co-operation is also very possible.' Then he spoke warmly of his own bond with his American counterpart. Trump may be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, but he still manifests an insecurity that Putin is happy to exploit. Speaking of the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 the Russian said: 'President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there would be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so' (as if the invasion had been some natural disaster, rather than something he initiated). As for Trump's peacemaking efforts, it was the Europeans and Ukrainians who were frustrating him, Putin suggested. He expressed the pious hope that they 'will not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress.' It was, of course, naked flattery, but it was also different from the kind of fawning obeisances some European leaders have adopted. Rather it was calibrated to convey a sense that the two men were equals and it came with the hint of an invitation to the club of strongman leaders: 'The president of the US has a very clear idea of what he would like to achieve. He sincerely cares about the prosperity of his nation. Still, he understands that Russia has its own national interests.' This sounded like a compliment, not condescension. Putin is not a rigid strategist but an opportunist. He likes to keep his options open. Having averted any ultimatum on a ceasefire, he made it clear that he will pursue both military and diplomatic tracks simultaneously, the very thing Kyiv has been trying to prevent. He can see if some deal that suits him emerges — or just use continuing negotiations to keep Trump paralysed and try to paint the Ukrainians and the Europeans as the obstacle. At this stage, he doesn't have to decide, and that's the way he likes it. One might think that this would be enough for him, but Putin wouldn't be Putin without a snarky parting shot. Just as Trump was wrapping up the brief press conference with a vague suggestion that the two men would 'probably' see each other again soon, Putin pounced. By inviting him, in English, to the Russian capital for their next meeting, he knew he was putting Trump very much on the spot. Obviously, this would be an even greater fillip for Putin, and pretty much guarantee that President Zelensky wasn't going to be present. It was a closing flash of the sharp teeth behind the bland smile: I am not, Putin could have been saying, just another second-tier national leader who can be pushed around. Professor Mark Galeotti's book, Forged in War: A Military History of Russia from its Beginnings to Today, is published by Osprey/Bloomsbury
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Zelenskyy knows he risks another Oval Office ambush - but has to be a willing participant in peace talks
There will be no red carpet or fly past, no round of applause when Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Washington DC on Monday. But the bitter memory of his last visit to the White House will feature prominently in the Ukrainian president's thoughts. In February, he was mocked for not wearing a suit and told he didn't "have the cards" by US President Donald Trump, before being walked off the premises early, like an unruly patron being thrown out of the bar. 3:10 Zelenskyy knows he is risking another ambush in the Oval Office but has to present himself as a willing participant in peace talks, out of fear of being painted as the obstacle to a resolution. There was initially measured optimism in Kyiv after Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, because it appeared that no deal had been cut between Washington and the Kremlin without Ukraine in the room, as had been feared. But that restrained positivity quickly evaporated with the release of a statement by Trump the morning after the night before. In the heady heights of a meeting with strongman Putin, he seemed to have abandoned the one key thing that European leaders had impressed upon him - that there had to be an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine as an absolute starting point to a permanent resolution. Trump had apparently reached the conclusion that no ceasefire was required. "The best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine... is to go directly to a peace agreement," is how he put it on his Truth Social media account. 23:24 That sent shockwaves through Kyiv. Many there and elsewhere believe Russia has no intention of stopping the war yet, and will use its military advantage on the battlefield to pressure Ukraine in drawn-out negotiations to give up more territory. In the meantime, the slaughter of Ukrainians will continue. It is the most dramatic of 180s from Trump, who before the meeting and after lobbying from European leaders had said he would not be happy if Putin failed to agree to a ceasefire, and even promised "severe consequences". Yet now reports suggest Trump is giving credence to the Russian position - in a phone call to Zelenskyy he laid out Putin's proposal that Ukraine relinquishes even more territory, in return for an end to the war. The Ukrainian president will have, no doubt, been distressed to see the pictures of Putin being greeted like a king on an American military base in Alaska. It is in direct contrast to how he was hosted on US soil. In Trump's orbit everything is a personality contest, and where he has very obvious deference to Putin, he has disdain for Zelenskyy. That makes the Ukrainian's position very difficult.
