A heart transplant candidate and Medicaid recipient from Louisiana was denied insurance coverage for an abortion, despite the fact that the pregnancy would likely claim her life. Doctors also noted that the heart medicine she needed to survive would likely harm the fetus.
Abortion rights supporters around the country expressed their outrage and made donations to pay for the procedure, which the woman will obtain in Texas today.
Michelle Lee developed cardiomyopathy five and a half years ago, during her first pregnancy. Her condition worsened significantly during her second pregnancy two and a half years ago.
The Louisiana State University Medical Center, which first denied Lee an abortion when she requested it seven weeks ago, stated that a woman must have at least a fifty percent chance of dying in pregnancy before an abortion procedure is warranted.
