After years of infertility and miscarriages, Anya Cook and her husband Derek were thrilled to finally be pregnant.But after a celebratory dinner, the Florida resident “felt a gush of water being thrown at me,” as she reveals in an exclusive preview of her on-camera interview withImpact x Nightline, which will be available to stream Dec. 14 on Hulu.“Never in my wildest dreams did I even think that was my amniotic fluid that was leaking out of me,” Cook said.Cook had pre-term premature rupture of the membranes, which can cause significant complications, theNational Institute of Healthsays.They went to the hospital — a hospital “I trusted my whole life, it was the only hospital I’ve ever gone to” — Cook says.However, Cook lives in Florida, which in April 2022passed a highly restrictive lawthat banned abortion after 15 weeks, with the only exceptions being “a fatal fetal abnormality” or “serious risk” to the pregnant person. A year later,the ban was expandedto exclude abortions after 6 weeks.For Cook — who was just over 15 weeks pregnant, early in her second trimester — that meant her options for medical care were limited. According to Florida’s ban, she wasn’t sick enough — yet — to qualify for induced labor, even though her doctor all but guaranteed she would be soon enough.“[The doctor] told me in that very moment that you can get an infection, possibly sepsis and die,” Cook said. “All I’m thinking is, ‘Well I’m at the hospital, right? I’m okay. I won’t die because I’m at the hospital.’”She continued: “I looked at my husband and that’s when reality hit me, because he’s looking at me and he’s saying, ‘No, babe. I don’t think you’re understanding what the doctor is saying.'”Abortion rights activists in Florida.John Parra/GettyBecause Cook’s life wasn’t immediately in danger, she didn’t qualify for an emergency exception to the abortion rule. She was discharged with antibiotics and told to return if her symptoms — pelvic pain and bleeding — worsened.“The nurse asked if she could pray for me,” Cook said. “All I knew was that I was not going to survive what was happening.”Cook realized she needed to make it to her hair appointment the following day — for bleak reasons.“I didn’t want my mom to have to worry about getting my locs done or having a mortuary take care of it because I knew I would die within the next two to three days.”Florida was one of several states to enact abortion bans after theSupreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in June of 2022, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion.ABC News anchorDiane Sawyerand senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott spoke to Cook and 17 other women in ten states for the special report on how restrictive abortion laws are negatively impacting women and their health. Several women experienced severe health consequences — and others fled to states without the restrictive laws, spending their life savings to get emergency abortions.IMPACT x Nightline: On the Brinkbegins streaming on Hulu tomorrow, Dec. 14.
After years of infertility and miscarriages, Anya Cook and her husband Derek were thrilled to finally be pregnant.
But after a celebratory dinner, the Florida resident “felt a gush of water being thrown at me,” as she reveals in an exclusive preview of her on-camera interview withImpact x Nightline, which will be available to stream Dec. 14 on Hulu.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I even think that was my amniotic fluid that was leaking out of me,” Cook said.
Cook had pre-term premature rupture of the membranes, which can cause significant complications, theNational Institute of Healthsays.
They went to the hospital — a hospital “I trusted my whole life, it was the only hospital I’ve ever gone to” — Cook says.
However, Cook lives in Florida, which in April 2022passed a highly restrictive lawthat banned abortion after 15 weeks, with the only exceptions being “a fatal fetal abnormality” or “serious risk” to the pregnant person. A year later,the ban was expandedto exclude abortions after 6 weeks.
For Cook — who was just over 15 weeks pregnant, early in her second trimester — that meant her options for medical care were limited. According to Florida’s ban, she wasn’t sick enough — yet — to qualify for induced labor, even though her doctor all but guaranteed she would be soon enough.
“[The doctor] told me in that very moment that you can get an infection, possibly sepsis and die,” Cook said. “All I’m thinking is, ‘Well I’m at the hospital, right? I’m okay. I won’t die because I’m at the hospital.’”
She continued: “I looked at my husband and that’s when reality hit me, because he’s looking at me and he’s saying, ‘No, babe. I don’t think you’re understanding what the doctor is saying.'”
Abortion rights activists in Florida.John Parra/Getty
John Parra/Getty
Because Cook’s life wasn’t immediately in danger, she didn’t qualify for an emergency exception to the abortion rule. She was discharged with antibiotics and told to return if her symptoms — pelvic pain and bleeding — worsened.
“The nurse asked if she could pray for me,” Cook said. “All I knew was that I was not going to survive what was happening.”
Cook realized she needed to make it to her hair appointment the following day — for bleak reasons.
“I didn’t want my mom to have to worry about getting my locs done or having a mortuary take care of it because I knew I would die within the next two to three days.”
Florida was one of several states to enact abortion bans after theSupreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in June of 2022, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion.
ABC News anchorDiane Sawyerand senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott spoke to Cook and 17 other women in ten states for the special report on how restrictive abortion laws are negatively impacting women and their health. Several women experienced severe health consequences — and others fled to states without the restrictive laws, spending their life savings to get emergency abortions.
IMPACT x Nightline: On the Brinkbegins streaming on Hulu tomorrow, Dec. 14.
source: people.com
