“When can we intervene if my life is now going to be put at risk?”

{NAME},  Theresa and her husband Markell were over the moon to learn they were expecting a baby girl.  Cielle was going to be their second child, a little sister to their firstborn Millie. But in June 2023, 20 weeks into her pregnancy, something went wrong.  Theresa’s amniotic fluid was low, and the fetus was not developing the way it was supposed to. Her OB-GYN referred her to a specialist who told her, with certainty, Cielle would not make it to term.  If this had happened one year earlier, her doctor could have referred her for an abortion. But after the Supreme Court struck down Roe, Theresa was forced to continue the pregnancy despite the risks to her life.  “He couldn't do anything because of our state laws, but he definitely let that be known that if he were to intervene or anything, that he could go to jail.”  “I felt like I was being forced to carry her. I didn't think it was fair that I had to grieve my daughter, but also feel her at the same time.”  Cielle died in utero a few weeks later, and Theresa was rushed to the hospital for a risky procedure to save her own life.  Theresa and Markell are both victims of Arkansas’ extreme abortion bans, and they are far from alone.  Women with pregnancy complications like Theresa’s are forced to either remain pregnant at great risk to themselves, or travel hundreds of miles and spend thousands of dollars to get the reproductive healthcare they need.  Today, 51 years after Roe guaranteed abortion access to all women – and only 18 months after those rights were taken away again – the situation is dire.  Arkansas has the nation’s highest maternal mortality rate and the third highest infant mortality rate. And if Republicans in Congress get their way, our state’s extreme abortion ban could well become a federal law – and doom countless women to death or serious health consequences.  I’m proud to be working with Vortex to elect bold Democrats who will defend our bodily autonomy and keep these decisions where they belong – between a woman and her doctor, NOT her lawmaker.  [If you’re with me, please contribute to Vortex today and help us flip all four of Arkansas’s congressional seats next year.](  In her interview last November, Theresa offered some sobering, parting thoughts:  “If we knew that she wasn't ever going to make it, it became a question of, okay, when can we intervene if my life is now going to be put at risk? I hope that when people hear my story with Cielle, when it comes to voting, they think about my situation and women like me.”  This is why Vortex is fighting to help Democrats take back the House majority and stop a national abortion ban. The lives of millions of women are hanging in the balance if we don’t.  Thank you,  Jennifer Browne Finance Director Vortex [Support Vortex PAC >>](   P.S. I encourage everyone to [watch Theresa’s powerful, heartbreaking interview here](. It’s a potent reminder of all that we’re fighting for.      Vortex PAC is a new grassroots movement to transform Arkansas politics away from the far-right. We are recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic candidates to flip all four of Arkansas’ U.S. congressional districts and help win back the House majority in 2024. [DONATE >>](   Paid for by Vortex PAC  ©2024 Vortex PAC, all rights reserved  Our mailing address is: Vortex PAC PO Box 1141 Springdale, AR 72765 We're sad to see you go, but if you believe you received this email in error, or you no longer wish to receive our emails you can unsubscribe using the link below: [Click here to unsubscribe.]( Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Vortex PAC, please [click here](.