Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Before we begin, this episode contains content that some listeners may find sensitive.
[00:00:07] Listener discretion is advised.
[00:00:28] This is the Access Pregnancy Post Roe Podcast and I AM MIA BRAUN Florida's six week abortion ban was put in place as of May 2024.
[00:00:43] This law restricts abortions after six weeks from the last menstrual period.
[00:00:49] Six weeks is when most people are not even aware yet they are pregnant. It does have limited exceptions for cases of rape, incest, human trafficking, fatal fetal abnormalities, and to save the life of the pregnant person.
[00:01:08] Routine medical care has since been delayed, denied and deviated from standards of care.
[00:01:15] This does not just impact abortion care, but miscarriage and broader maternal health care.
[00:01:22] Florida's abortion ban endangers patients by causing delays and denials of medical treatment.
[00:01:30] Representative Kat Kamek of Florida's 3rd district has spent the last decade in politics.
[00:01:38] Over this time she has voted consistently for anti abortion laws in her state.
[00:01:44] Over her tenure as a congresswoman, she voted for and was the lead sponsor for the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection act in 2021 and 2023.
[00:01:57] She also has been co chair for the House Pro Life Caucus which promotes anti abortion legislation.
[00:02:06] In May 2025, she, like many women in her state, was impacted by the restrictive of abortion legislation she had voted for.
[00:02:17] In May 2025, Kamek experienced severe abdominal pain during an event in her district.
[00:02:25] She was hesitant to seek medical attention, but when she did, the doctors discovered she had an ectopic pregnancy.
[00:02:35] An ectopic pregnancy is a condition in which a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, making pregnancy non viable and incredibly dangerous.
[00:02:46] If the fertilized egg implants and grows in the fallopian tube, it can cause the tube to rupture, a life threatening event for the pregnant person.
[00:02:58] Despite the severity of her condition, the strict abortion laws in Florida made healthcare providers cautious due to confusion over what constitutes permissible emergency care.
[00:03:11] She was met with resistance from doctors and nurses because they feared prosecution under Florida's six week abortion ban.
[00:03:20] The hesitation could have put Kamek's life in danger.
[00:03:26] Florida's law prohibits abortions after six weeks and has limited exceptions that aren't fully defined.
[00:03:35] This can create legal gray areas for medical workers when healthcare providers face potential felony charges for making split second medical decisions. Caution becomes a matter of self preservation, not politics.
[00:03:52] According to Florida regulators, ectopic pregnancies are not abortions and are exempt from restrictions.
[00:04:00] But Molly Duane with the center for Reproductive Rights told the Wall Street Journal the law does not define ectopic pregnancy, which can be difficult to diagnose.
[00:04:12] The president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, Allison Haddock, stated that care in early pregnancy is a medically complicated space.
[00:04:24] Doctors in abortion restricted states worry whether their clinical judgment will stand or whether should there be any prosecution The Florida abortion ban uses broad language defining abortion as ending a pregnancy in any way other than birth.
[00:04:43] This kind of definition leaves room for the criminalization of ectopic pregnancy treatment, forcing health providers and administrators to tread carefully.
[00:04:54] The text of anti abortion legislation is vague and often does not include explicit exceptions for treatment of ectopic pregnancy or other medical emergencies, but it carries significant penalties such as felony charges or loss of medical license.
[00:05:16] The current Florida abortion law states a physician may not knowingly perform or induce a termination of pro pregnancy if the physician determines the gestational age of the fetus is more than six weeks unless they can certify that it is necessary in order to save the life of the pregnant woman or avert a serious risk of imminent, substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.
[00:05:49] If confronted with an ectopic pregnancy after six weeks, weeks, health care providers or institutions may wonder if an ectopic pregnancy must be ruptured in order to guarantee meeting life saving criteria in the eyes of the law, even if it may be straightforward in the eyes of medicine. The question begs to ask how does one define serious risk and who gets to define it?
[00:06:19] Keisha Melfort, the deputy director of communications at the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, is quoted saying the ectopic pregnancies, like other pregnancy complications, are deeply traumatic and can become life threatening in a matter of hours.
[00:06:39] What many people do not realize is how the current legal restrictions and vague language in Florida's abortion laws have made it harder for doctors to act quickly.
[00:06:51] When providers have to pause and interpret legal risk instead of prioritizing patient health, it puts lives in danger.
[00:07:02] Kamek had to convince her doctors to treat her. She pulled up the Florida statute on her phone. She called the governor's office but got no response.
[00:07:13] Medical professionals delayed giving her the shot of methotrexate needed to terminate her non viable ectopic pregnancy due to concerns about the legal consequences under Florida's six week abortion ban.
[00:07:28] Grace Howard, an associate professor of justice studies at San Jose State University, is quoted saying abortion bans force camex health care providers to wonder, has this terminal pregnancy made her sick enough for us to do our job without getting arrested?
[00:07:49] Republican abortion bans, the ones that she advocates for, put her in a position where she was forced to advocate for herself in order to save her own life.
[00:08:02] Eventually, Kamek received the shot she needed hours later to end the pregnancy.
[00:08:09] Kamek, however, didn't use this moment to talk about how the law's vagueness may have put her life at risk.
[00:08:17] Instead, she deflected blaming the left and telling the Wall Street Journal it was, quote, absolute fear mongering at its worst.
[00:08:27] Instead of acknowledging the flaws within the law, she insisted to Fox News, the left absolutely played a role in making sure that doctors and women were scared to seek out the help that they needed.
[00:08:42] Kamik's experience could have sparked an honest discussion about the dangers of government overreach into women's bodies, but instead she doubled down and blamed her career on the left.
[00:08:56] Kanek's reflexive blaming of the left shows a troubling disconnect from reality.
[00:09:02] Her providers weren't reacting to headlines. They were navigating serious legal risk.
[00:09:09] Violating the Florida abortion law can mean up to five years in prison, fines of up to $5,000, and loss of medical licenses for healthcare providers.
[00:09:21] Kamek's experience hardened her stance against abortion.
[00:09:25] She insists she did not have one, though her pregnancy was terminated in January 2020, five months after her experience. She co sponsored HR21, the born alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
[00:09:42] The bill passed 220 to 210 in the House.
[00:09:47] It mandates medical care for infants born alive after an abortion and includes criminal penalties for healthcare providers who fail to comply.
[00:09:57] She continues to support laws that create barriers to these drugs and procedures despite having benefited from the discretion and flexibility in care.
[00:10:10] Kat Kamek has said she wants to get the politics of out of women's healthcare. We suggest she start with refusing to pass legislation that allows for the government to have a say in what a woman does with her body.
[00:10:24] This incident illustrates how even lawmakers who support restrictive abortion measures can become vulnerable to the consequences.
[00:10:34] Kamek's experience highlights the importance of clear guidelines in reproductive healthcare legislation and the direct impact such laws have on women's health and safety.
[00:10:47] Her characterization of the issue underscores the GOP's misunderstanding of pregnancy complications and the very real consequences of anti abortion legislation.
[00:11:02] Ultimately, the ongoing debate over Florida's abortion laws demonstrate how political rhetoric often obscures urgent health risks faced by women.
[00:11:13] Cammuk's own experience serves as a reminder that reproductive rights and access to timely medical care should transcend partisan divides, highlighting the necessity for clear, medically informed policies.
[00:11:30] There is no such thing as a no risk pregnancy. The best case scenario is that you are in a low risk category for complications.
[00:11:41] Whatever side of the aisle you sit on. Just because you are anti abortion or vote Republican does not make you immune to the dangers and complications that come with being pregnant.
[00:11:54] Anti abortion laws confuse and restrict healthcare providers from efficiently treating women experiencing complications during pregnancy.
[00:12:07] All American citizens deserve the freedom to get timely, compassionate medical care without judgment, delay or fear of punishment.
[00:12:18] Our focus should be on allowing our medical professionals to care for their patients to the best of their ability.
[00:12:29] On our next full length episode, we will dive into the ways state lawmakers want to punish women who have an abortion.
