https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:20:13 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-latest-planned-parenthood-video-devastating#post-2268765 Thu, 20 Aug 2015 15:33:56 +0000 LatteLove 2268765@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been following this news story for weeks, but haven't really said or shared much about it in my real life or social media/online because I wasn't entirely convinced by the accuracy and fair representation from the heavily edited first few videos. But they have gotten worse...I'm on the verge of throwing up and crying at my desk. Regardless of where you fall on the the prochoice/prolife spectrum, as a mom and a human, I think this is really horrifying. :-(<br /> Regardless of your political position (I am VERY pro-women's health and pretty moderate on social issues), I think every person should be informed and make up their own minds about this issue: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzMAycMMXp8" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzMAycMMXp8</a><br /> What have you guys thought about the videos so far? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1874131 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:48:47 +0000 MrsSCB 1874131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: Thanks for sharing, I didn't know any of the details and rules surrounding reporting and it's really interesting. Although at my university, they had this rule that if you went to the hospital for alcohol poisoning or something, you wouldn't be reported to the police, even if you were underage. So it makes sense that there must be a lot left up to your discretion. It seems in the NY Times article like the hospital basically checked to make sure nothing major was wrong and then sent her on her way.</p> <p>Something that kind of bothers me about some of the reaction to this is the girl was 16 years old. It says in the article that they both did research together. This isn't a mother giving illicit drugs to a five-year-old without permission. It seems to me she gave her daughter plenty of autonomy in making this decision and they both had a similar understanding of the risks associated. I'm sure people would probably say, "The mom is supposed to protect her daughter!" but I think that's exactly what she thought she was doing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1874047 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:14:58 +0000 lilyofthewest 1874047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. Our duty to report is if they are posing a clear risk to the life or immediate safety of themselves or a minor under their care. Some jurisdictions do have a much broader duty to report illegal activities, not sure if illegal drug use is included anywhere. I really don't know how I would have proceeded if I had been involved in treating this young woman. Some of the reporting has seemed to indicate that she was treated exclusively for pain management; other reports indicated more treatment was needed and that there was real danger to her well-being. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1874039 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:11:30 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1874039@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: do you have a duty to report when patients disclose illegal drug use? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1874006 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:56:12 +0000 lilyofthewest 1874006@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I don't know if there are formal guidelines about it. Anybody who does? The only cases that I know of personally involved fines only, no jail time.</p> <p>Edited to add: or no consequences whatsoever. Patients tell doctors and nurses about illicit/use acquisition of meds all the time. It is unusual for me to have a work day without several such disclosures. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1874002 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:54:09 +0000 lilyofthewest 1874002@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Federal Medicaid money can not be spent on abortions unless the life or health of the pregnant woman is at immediate risk. Some states use their own money to add abortion coverage to to their Medicaid plans. Employer plans also often exclude abortion coverage. </p> <p>Unfortunately, even with insurance coverage, abortion can be prohibitively expensive for women who do not have employers with flexible paid leave policies. Two days with no paycheck can mean the difference between making rent or not for a lot of struggling families. </p> <p>Weird rules about use of paid sick leave can also make access tough. I'm 10 weeks pregnant right now. If, god forbid, I got bad diagnostic information today and needed to terminate, I'd be worried about my job. I'm meant to schedule time off at least 6 weeks in advance for any medical care that isn't urgently needed sooner than that to protect/restore my health. And I can be terminated if I take more than 3 sick days per year if they are not covered by FMLA. </p> <p>I'm in a major city. I work for a large healthcare agency. I'm an RN. I make good money. If I need to worry about these things, they are definitely real concerns for people of more limited means. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873990 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:48:44 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1873990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: Right or wrong what the mom did was illegal and she was caught. Just because something is common- giving away or selling unused medication or buying it online to avoid a trip to a doctor doesn't make it legal. </p> <p>Do we know the normal sentencing guidelines for this particular crime/ circumstances to know for certain if the mom's sentence is too harsh? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873951 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:23:33 +0000 Boheme 1873951@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: Well said! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873922 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:06:58 +0000 LuLu Mom 1873922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't' agree with purchasing prescription drugs online, however I think her sentencing is extremely harsh and the punishment does not fit the crime. You are taking this mother away from her 11 year old daughter when she is a first time offender, she should have been on probation. But instead they give probation to the drug dealers and people committing assault or drinking and driving...makes no sense to me. What a joke trying to make an example out of this mother, it's disgusting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873900 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 08:54:26 +0000 looch 1873900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Yes, that's what I was thinking as well (regarding the state health insurance for minors). I know it's income dependent in some, maybe all states, these folks might be classified as the working poor (making too much to qualify). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873895 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 08:52:58 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1873895@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm conflicted on this. Who doesn't know purchasing medication without a script is illegal. Even contact lenses require a prescription. I don't think people should be thrown in jail for purchasing these things online and taking it themselves. It's not l I kept she bought extra to sell. Giving it to her daughter seems fine since the mom would have to sign off on her care anyway.</p> <p>Doesn't each state have a health insurance plan for children whose parents cannot afford health insurance? No doubt this family felt they had limited options. Access to a safe &amp; legal abortion was financially prohibitive.</p> <p>Too bad the mom and daughter did not know miscarriages are crazy painful because they probably would have avoided the ER. </p> <p>@ChitownRo: unless men are seeking treatment for side effects of illegally purchased Viagra, I don't see how this is a fair comparison. The hospital staff has a duty to report. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873887 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 08:49:44 +0000 looch 1873887@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am having a hard time with the prescription medications that can be purchased on line. I have never been in the position where I have had to rely on getting medication other than from a pharmacy, but I would absoutely not order medication online and then administer it to my child of any age. I might be willing to do that to myself, but not to a minor child. Heaven forbid it is laced with something or contaminated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873799 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 07:28:25 +0000 MrsSCB 1873799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: well, said, ITA.</p> <p>Clearly this wasn't about a simple shortcut. It's about women's options being restricted. The closest clinic is 75 miles away, there's a 24-hour waiting period, access to the medication is prohibitively expensive. Believe it or not, plenty of people can't afford to take a day of work for some forced "waiting period" regarding a decision they've certainly thought about a LOT already. And they definitely can't afford to shell out hundreds for meds. I'm not going to judge this woman for what she did -- she's trying to help her daughter and did what she thought was best. I am judging all of the people who are responsible for making her and her daughter feel like they have no safer options. I guess anyone judging this woman's choice would also have not felt sympathy for women harmed during back-alley abortions, which is sad. I can't imagine the fear someone would feel when faced with an unplanned pregnancy and so few ways to deal with it and so little support. Women's safety is simply not a priority in this country while options are so limited. And this poor woman is paying the price. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873763 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:37:04 +0000 Adira 1873763@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is horrible! I can't believe how long of a sentence this mother is facing just for trying to help her child out.</p> <p>While I agree that buying drugs on-line for your children is dangerous and scary and probably not something I would choose to do, I also know that I have the luxury of being able to afford, if I had to, to take that long trip and time off from work to pay for a legal abortion somewhere far away. Not everyone has that option, so I can understand why she chose to turn to these drugs. Plus the fact she was able to buy them so easily, it might not have occurred to her that she needed a prescription.</p> <p>I just feel bad for her. There needs to be more options for women so that this type of thing doesn't happen! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873752 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:13:00 +0000 lilyofthewest 1873752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ChitownRo: I felt the same way reading this. I haven't heard of, nor can I imagine, other grey-market drug sales being criminalized like this. </p> <p>Perhaps a parent would've faced some charges for providing other grey-market pharm to a child, but, the sentence this poor mom got is clearly tied to judgement about the fact that it was an abortifacient. </p> <p>If she had coerced or forced her daughter to end the pregnancy, that would be one thing. But, everything I've read about this case indicates that the daughter wanted the abortion.</p> <p>I wonder if anyone who is criticizing her choice to purchase grey-market medication has ever given leftover pain medication (or sleep medication, or anti-anxiety meds...) to a friend or family member. I'm not a lawyer (nor do I play one on TV!), but, I think that has the same legal culpability as purchasing from an online distributor without an Rx. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873749 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:04:01 +0000 lilyofthewest 1873749@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Skadi: In the US RU-486 (aka mifepistone or Mifeprex) isn't carried in pharmacies at all. It can only be dispensed directly to the patient by a physician (or in some states nurse practitioners and nurse midwives can also dispense it). </p> <p>Physician's offices need to register a dispensing protocol, adverse event reporting system, and follow-up tracking system with the manufacturer prior to being authorized to order it. </p> <p>In most states, physicians, NPs, and CNMs who offer the abortion pill are subject to the same regulations as those offering surgical abortion services. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873705 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 00:12:18 +0000 birdofafeather 1873705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i think it's irresponsible for this mom to have purchased drugs online for her child. it was not done under doctor's orders and who knows what she could have been buying. prescription grade drugs are not something i would mess with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873692 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 23:16:41 +0000 Skadi 1873692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Virtually every pharmacy carries RU-486, and as the article stated, all you need is a prescription from a doctor. You do not need to visit a special clinic to get the prescription. The article seems to conflate the morning after pill with an early term abortion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873690 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 23:11:21 +0000 turquoisemama 1873690@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that there should be more options for women in this kind of situation. I do not, however, feel bad for this mother. I can't imagine feeling comfortable with buying abortion medication or any medication from some online supplier. And the fact that she said she didn't know it was illegal seems like a cop out. I'm sure if she did any research on the medication she would find plenty of info about it being illegal without a prescription. And if she didn't research it, then it was foolish to buy something she didn't know much about and give it to her child. She should have gone about it the right way and driven to the clinic. It would have been an inconvenience, but it's her job as a parent to make sure her child is safe. Buying illegal medication online is not making sure her child is safe. Thank goodness it was the real medication and not a scam. Who knows what you could come across on the internet. It's a sad situation for the daughter, but I'm sorry, the mother should have known better. </p> <p>I do agree with the OP that there should be more regulation to prevent people from having access to illegal drugs on the internet. This story seems like just a sliver of the problem. But that doesn't mean we should feel bad for those people who want to take short cuts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873678 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 22:15:10 +0000 Arden 1873678@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The fact that this was her only option besides an expensive clinic hours away is so sad. This kind of thing is so preventable, we just need to provide more options! Why don't we have more walk-in crisis centers in this country? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873677 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 22:09:54 +0000 PurplePumps 1873677@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wonder what would have happen if the daughter had just said that she purchased it herself? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873661 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 21:37:39 +0000 Emsmems 1873661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, I hadn't heard about this. But how sad. I can only imagine how much this has probably messed up her daughter. Not only did she abort her baby, she got her mom thrown in jail for it (not her specifically, but I'm sure that's how a 16 year old would say it). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-sent-to-prison-for-helping-teen-daughter-have-abortion#post-1873580 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 20:08:16 +0000 ChitownRo 1873580@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Anyone see this article in NYT?</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/magazine/a-mother-in-jail-for-helping-her-daughter-have-an-abortion.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/magazine/a-mother-in-jail-for-helping-her-daughter-have-an-abortion.html</a></p> <p>I am so upset about this! I wish there was some way to help this poor woman on her way to jail. Her sentence needs to be reduced. Anyone have ideas? </p> <p>Many people in NYT's comment section point out - where is the prosecution of men ordering Viagra online without a script? Or pursuing the companies that sell and advertise drugs online.. Punishing this woman who honestly was trying to help her daughter doesn't solve the overall problem of purchasing Rx drugs online..</p> <p>I realize that this may start some debate-- but I just want to spread this news story. Hopefully more discussion can help prevent this awful situation from replicating in the future </p>