ectopic pregnancy

I'm the CEO at APLOG, the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs.

You may remember our guest slash host for today, Monica Snyder, from a previous episode where we discussed the common confusion surrounding ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and abortion.

Specifically, we talked about Representative Kat Kamik's situation with her experience with her ectopic pregnancy.

In that conversation, Monica interviewed me to explore the medical perspective on those issues.

So today we're turning the tables again for another reverse interview, this time to discuss yet another viral ProPublica article that insinuates that abortion laws are responsible for a rise in deaths related to ectopic pregnancy.

The article points to some CDC data showing that approximately 200 women died after an ectopic pregnancy diagnosis between 2020 and 2025, compared to roughly half that, about 100 deaths during the previous six-year period.

ProPublica's headline leaves readers to believe that these deaths are due to pro-life laws.

But does the evidence actually support that conclusion? Well, in this episode, we're going to take a closer look at the data, examine the medical realities of diagnosing and treating ectopic pregnancy, and discussing why attributing these tragic outcomes to pro-life laws oversimplifies a much more complex issue and also risks spreading more misinformation.

Wade, many advocates for abortion were predicting all kinds of dangers for women.

Among them, an increase in ectopic pregnancy deaths, warning that doctors would not be willing to treat ectopic pregnancy for fear of running afoul of an abortion ban.

Well, there's a new report out that claims that there's a connection between pro-life laws and ectopic pregnancy deaths.

Does it prove the connection? Welcome back to Issues Etc.

I'm Todd Wilkin.

Joining us to talk about two issues, this report that blames pro-life laws for ectopic pregnancy deaths, and a recent poll on a pro-life ballot initiative in Missouri.

He's visiting Assistant Professor of Social Research and Political Science at the Catholic University of America, Senior Associate Scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, Paige Comstock Cunningham Fellow with America's United for Life, and a columnist for National Review Online.

Dr.

He scooped me up off the bed and hugged me with my head on his shoulder and I just kept crying and I told him about what happened and how I've been worried about this for weeks and that I didn't know what I should do or if they would still love me and if I should just run away or sow something worse and that I posted here for advice after my second test and that people were so nice and supportive and that changed everything and that told me to call Mom and she dropped what she was doing to be here and how I really don't know what to do, and he just held me for what seemed like an hour until I was done crying and then he set me down on my bed, took a tissue to wipe his face and gave me the box to clean up mine.

My mom scheduled an appointment with her gynecologist for tomorrow morning, they are going to run a full pregnancy test and do an ultrasound because girls my age may have ectopic pregnancy where the fetus is in the ovary not in the uterus or something like that, she told me a girl my age can have all sorts of serious complications so getting to the doctor is the first priority.

My daddy has been friends with Mike's parents for more than 25 years, which I guess is why we grew up so close as friends.

He is going to talk to his dad tomorrow after we are sure of everything and then we will sit down together to talk about what happens next.

Update two, I made a post on Monday when I found out I was pregnant.

I was totally freaking out and got some great advice that really saved me from doing something completely stupid.

So on Tuesday I found out I had an ectopic pregnancy, something I had never heard of before, and needed to have a surgical abortion that afternoon.

That went very well, according to my mom's doctor, and I was able to go home after it was done.