Pro-life fact-check: Kamala Harris’ claim on pro-life laws in Oklahoma case debunked
Caroline MolloyA LiveAction fact-check challenged Vice President Kamala Harris’ claim that pro-life laws endangered Jaci Statton’s life, revealing that medical negligence and miscommunication, not state legislation, were responsible for the delays in her care.
During the recent presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that pro-life laws have made it criminal for doctors to provide necessary health care, citing the case of Jaci Statton, an Oklahoma woman allegedly denied care for a life-threatening condition.
However, an examination of Statton’s case provided in a September 14 article from LiveAction revealed that her life was not put in jeopardy because of pro-life laws, but rather due to medical negligence and miscommunication within the hospital system.
According to LiveAction, Statton was diagnosed with a partial molar pregnancy in the spring of 2023, a condition in which an embryo has too many chromosomes, giving the baby a survival chance of less than 25% and putting the mother at risk of health complications, including cancer.
LiveAction reported that Statton should have qualified for a legal abortion under Oklahoma’s HB 4327 law, which allows for abortion when the mother’s life is at risk.
