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A Republican lawmaker in Florida seemingly hasn't done any self-reflection since she almost died from a ectopic pregnancy under her state's abortion ban.
Kat Cammack doesn't believe Florida's abortion ban was at fault for her near-death experience, but instead blames Democrats for "fearmongering."
A Republican lawmaker in Florida seemingly hasn't done any self-reflection since she almost died from a ectopic pregnancy under her state's abortion ban.
Rep. Kat Cammack went to the emergency room barely moments after Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect in May, 2024. Doctors determined she was roughly five weeks into an ectopic pregnancy, which needed to be terminated immediately in order to prevent a life-threatening rupture.
One shot of methotrexate would expel the pregnancy and save Cammack's life, but doctors were still apprehensive to give it to her in light of the new state law. After spending several hours showing hospital staff the text of the bill on her phone, and even attempting to contact the governor, Cammack was given the shot.
Today, Cammack still doesn't believe that the law was at fault for her near-death experience, but instead blames Democrats for "fearmongering" about it.
“It was absolute fearmongering at its worst,” she recently told the Wall Street Journal. “There will be some comments like, ‘Well, thank God we have abortion services,’ even though what I went through wasn’t an abortion."
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants itself and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus, according to Mayo Clinic. The only treatment for ectopic pregnancies is to remove the egg, either by using medicine (methotrexate) to dissolve it, or by surgically removing it.
This is not technically considered an abortion, as ectopic pregnancies can’t grow into viable fetuses. A fertilized egg can’t survive outside the uterus, Planned Parenthood explains, meaning all pregnancies that are ectopic will not survive. Abortions are alternately classified as the purposeful termination of a pregnancy inside the uterus.
While methotrexate is only used to treat ectopic pregnancies, it can also be used to perform abortions, and has been subjected to restrictions under abortion bans for its ability to terminate pregnancies.
There are several other documented cases of women with ectopic pregnancies being refused treatment under abortion bans, including two women in Texas whose fertility was permanently affected after they were turned away from hospitals. At least five women experiencing miscarriages and other pregnancy complications have died after being refused care due to their state's abortion ban.
Florida has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, with the care being prohibited after six weeks of pregnancy — before most even know they are pregnant. The law makes it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion, levying criminal penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
That's not what doctors are afraid of, according to Cammack, who still doesn't believe abortions should be available.
“I would stand with any woman – Republican or Democrat – and fight for them to be able to get care in a situation where they are experiencing a miscarriage and an ectopic [pregnancy],” she said.
