It’s a decision no one should ever have to face.
Karisa Bugal was just like any other mom, excited the birth of her child was drawing near. But she could never have prepared for what doctors told her while she was in labor. A routine C-section ended up being a matter of life and death after doctors discovered she had a rare condition — amniotic fluid embolism — that was threatening both her life and the life of the child.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Amniotic fluid embolism is a rare but serious condition that occurs when amniotic fluid — the fluid that surrounds a baby in the uterus during pregnancy — or fetal material, such as fetal cells, enters the mother’s bloodstream.
AFE develops suddenly and progresses rapidly.
There are no specific treatments for this type of embolism. Some patients pull through the ordeal while others do not. An emergency C-section is another treatment for the embolism.
Bugal was scheduled for a routine C-section, but when her deadly condition was discovered she was immediately rushed into an emergency one. She was now faced with a split-second decision: do I save myself or my baby?
She could’ve declined surgery and given herself a better chance to live, but her son likely wouldn’t have made it. Instead, she chose to go into surgery as quickly as possible, putting herself at risk but giving her son the best chance to live.
Baby boy Duncan was delivered and in the last moments of Karisa’s life, she was able to ask about about her son’s weight.
In a follow up video piece on the story, the Bagul family discusses life without Duncan’s mom.
Now, Wes, husband of Karisa is unsure how he will explain to both of his children that their mommy is gone.
But one thing the family knows – and this boy will know – his momma is a hero. She sacrificed so he might have a chance at life.
At last night’s final presidential debate, the topic of women facing life threatening births including pro-choice options were discussed by both the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
In a story published the day after the debate by Faithwire, Senior Editor, Billy Hallowell, covered what each candidate said on abortion.
Including legislation outside of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade case which legalized abortions across America. A law that Trump wants to overturn.
Since that time, Hallowell noted that:
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on partial birth abortion in the 2007 case Gonzales v. Carhart. The law in question bans partial-birth abortion, and offers exemptions if a woman’s life is endangered; according to the Guttmacher Institute, it does not include “an exception to protect the woman’s health.”
Text of the Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2003, which Clinton voted against as a senator, does indeed include language referring to the “life of the mother.”