Mitri Shatara

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it raised many questions.

One of the main questions and concerns pregnant women have is if they’ll have access to abortion if the pregnancy endangers their life.

And contrary to some online claims, certain medical conditions will allow for the termination of a pregnancy to avoid fatal complications for the mother.

But with all the new restrictive abortion laws, how life-threatening does a pregnancy have to be before it can be terminated?

We’ll take a look at that and more below.

Medical Reasons A Pregnancy Could Be Terminated

Ectopic Pregnancies

An ectopic pregnancy can become deadly to the mother if they aren’t terminated.

Ectopic pregnancies occur when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, typically in the fallopian tube.

They occur in about 2% of all pregnancies.

As the pregnancy continues to grow and develop, it will cause the tube to rupture, which can cause the pregnant woman to hemorrhage and die. 

In almost every case, the way to treat an ectopic pregnancy is to terminate it with a medical abortion or surgical procedure.

Not treating an ectopic pregnancy can put patients at serious risk.

Many doctors believe it to be medical malpractice to watch a patient at risk for a tubal rupture from an ectopic pregnancy without offering termination.

There’s a real risk of death.

Infections

If the water breaks early in pregnancy, there is a high risk for infection, which could be life-threatening. If the water breaks before the 20-week mark in a pregnancy, it is typically recommended by medical professionals to consider an abortion. 

When there is an extremely high risk of infection inside the uterus, it could spread quickly into the bloodstream, causing the pregnant woman to become septic.

Other Health Conditions That Could Warrant An Abortion

Placental abruption is another condition that could fatally impact a pregnant woman. This condition is when the placenta begins to separate from the uterus.

These are uncommon but pose a severe risk to the mother’s health.

In a small percentage of abruptions, a woman could bleed so heavily that she could go into hemorrhagic shock.

If that occurs, doctors would recommend a very urgent termination of the pregnancy as a life-saving measure for the mom to keep her from bleeding to death.

Preeclampsia in early gestation is another condition in which pregnancy comes at a very high risk for the mother.

Preeclampsia involves developing high blood pressure and signs of organ damage.

If women with pulmonary hypertension become pregnant, they are at high risk of becoming even more gravely ill or dying in pregnancy.

If women aren’t allowed to get a legal abortion to save their life, many experts worry that unsafe abortions will become common all over again.

When Can You Legally End A Pregnancy?

The abortion ban has made it very unclear when doctors can legally end pregnancies if the mother’s life is endangered.

For example, a patient in Texas was seven weeks pregnant and experiencing kidney failure.

Many medical providers would consider that a life-threatening condition.

However, abortions in TX are banned after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

That’s around six weeks of pregnancy.

However, if a physician believes a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance, they may terminate the pregnancy.

There are still gray areas.

Most abortion bans that have gone into effect include exceptions for life-threatening situations. The problem is that there’s no clear legal definition of which conditions qualify for those exceptions or how severe the condition must be for a doctor to perform an abortion free of liability.

That leaves many medical professionals wondering what the risk of death has to be and how imminent it must be before they can start the termination of pregnancy.

Is abortion permissible in a patient with a 30-to-50% chance of dying with ongoing pregnancy?

Or does it have to be 100%?”

Doctors practicing in states where abortion is now illegal will likely have to wait until it’s inevitable that a patient will die before they can perform the procedure.

That is not an ideal time to do any intervention.

Many experts predict more maternal deaths as a result of waiting.

Before the overturn of Roe V Wade, the U.S. had approximately 700 women die every year of pregnancy-related complications.

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation where maternal mortality is rising.

And the U.S. has nearly the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries.

About 3 in 5 of those maternal deaths are preventable.

And, states that restrict abortion access have higher rates of maternal mortality than those that don’t, a fact that abortion rights activists use as proof that abortion should be a right.

The rule of thumb is often that a pregnant woman has to be at imminent risk of dying before an abortion is performed.

That means the woman is at risk of dying right then rather than later in the pregnancy if it moves forward.

Most abortion bans make providing or attempting an abortion a felony charge. 

That means doctors and clinics will likely be charged and tried rather than individual patients.

And it appears that many states with abortion bans have “zealous prosecutors” who will do whatever they can to shut down clinics and throw doctors in jail or strip them of their licenses.

Contact Shunnarah Trial Lawyers For Your Legal Needs

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys strives to help victims and their families get the legal help they need after a personal injury. If you have lost a loved one in a wrongful death, call today to speak with an experienced attorney in a free consultation. We are here to fight for those who have been injured. Call today at 1-800-229-7989.

References:

https://www.vox.com/2019/9/11/20859034/ectopic-pregnancy-abortion-federalist-intrauterine-ohio-surgery

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abortion-false/fact-check-termination-of-pregnancy-can-be-necessary-to-save-a-womans-life-experts-say-idUSL1N2TC0VD

https://www.tommys.org/baby-loss-support/tfmr-terminating-pregnancy-medical-reasons

https://www.yahoo.com/now/life-threatening-must-pregnancy-legal-175741983.html

Three major U.S. drug distributors, McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp, and Cardinal Health Inc, prevailed in a recent opioid case in West Virginia.

A federal judge ruled on Monday that they are not responsible for fueling an opioid epidemic in Huntington, West Virginia.

Huntington and Cabell County were pushing for the country’s top three pharmaceutical distributors to pay $2.5 billion to address a drug crisis caused by a flood of addictive pills in their region.   

U.S. District Judge David Faber rejected their demands.

The Opioid Abuse Epidemic

The opioid crisis in Cabell County and Huntington, WV, has taken a considerable toll on the citizens of the area. 

The three drug corporations shipped 81 million opioid pills to the small city of Huntington.

The town of 100,000 residents is left wondering how the corporations were able to sell 81 million pills in the city, deny any responsibility, and pretend there’s no fallout.

Federal records show the companies did ship 81 million opioid pills during a nine-year period when West Virginia’s opioid epidemic was spiraling out of control.

Huntington, which stretches along the Ohio River, is in big trouble.

1 in 10 residents in Huntington struggle with opioid use disorder.

Drug overdose deaths surged again last year across West Virginia, up 40%.

Huntington has long been an epicenter of the nationwide opioid addiction and overdose epidemic linked to more than 500,000 deaths over the past two decades. 

The Trial

Following a months-long trial, U.S. District Judge David Faber rejected efforts by the city of Huntington and Cabell County.

The city looked to force the three pharmaceutical distributors to pay $2.5 billion to address a drug crisis resulting from the surge of addictive drugs sold to that area. 

Judge Faber conveyed the companies did not cause any oversupply of opioids.

He said that doctors’ “good faith” prescribing decisions drove the volume of painkillers they shipped to pharmacies, and it wasn’t a public nuisance.

“There is nothing unreasonable about distributing controlled substances to fulfill legally written prescriptions,” Faber wrote.

Huntington’s mayor Steve Williams called the decision “a blow to our city and community.”

The city hoped to force the companies to help fund opioid treatment programs.

The treatment programs were part of the 15-year abatement plan that would focus on reducing overdoses, overdose deaths, and the number of people struggling with opioid abuse. 

“The citizens of our city and county should not have to bear the principal responsibility of ensuring that an epidemic of this magnitude never occurs again,” Williams added.

The distributors, along with Johnson & Johnson, agreed to pay up to $26 billion last year to resolve thousands of lawsuits brought against them by state and local governments.

However, communities in hard-hit West Virginia decided against joining a national opioid settlement in favor of seeking a more significant recovery.

This ruling adds to the mixed record for opioid cases that have gone to trial nationally.

Last year, Oklahoma and California courts rejected similar claims against drugmakers like J&J.

In November, a federal jury found retail pharmacies CVS Health Corp, Walgreens, and Walmart Inc liable in a case two Ohio counties filed. In December, a New York jury found Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd responsible for a claim by the state and two counties.

Contact Shunnarah Trial Lawyers For Your Legal Needs

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys strive to help victims and their families get the compensation they deserve in personal injury cases, including dangerous drugs. To learn if you have a case, call our personal injury lawyers for a free consultation at 1-800-229-7989.

References:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/us-drug-distributors-prevail-2-5-billion-west-virginia-opioid-case

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-drug-distributors-prevail-25-billion-west-virginia-opioid-case-2022-07-04/

A shooter opened fire on an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a suburb in North Chicago.
The gunman killed at least six innocent people, wounded at least 30, and sent hundreds of marchers, parents pushing strollers, and children on bikes fleeing in terror.

Over 100 law enforcement officers were called to the parade scene to find the suspected shooter.
The July 4th parade shooting was the latest to shatter the rituals of American life.

Schools, churches, grocery stores, and community parades have become killing grounds recently.
This loss of life this time came as our nation encouraged the celebration of its founding and reminders of the bonds that still hold it together.

The Victims

Highland Park’s parade shooting ripped through the typically safe, friendly community.
NorthShore University Health Center received 26 patients after the attack.
All but one had gunshot wounds.

As of Tuesday, officials have identified six of the seven victims who died:
-Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park — age 64
-Irina McCarthy of Highland Park — age 35
-Stephen Straus of Highland Park — age 88
-Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza of Morelos, Mexico — age 78
-Kevin McCarthy of Highland Park — age 37
-Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park — age 63

A 7th victim died at a hospital located outside of Lake County.
More than three dozen others were injured in the attack.
Nicolas Toledo, a man in his 70s, was the first victim identified as of late Monday by his family.
Jacki Sundheim was a teacher at a synagogue in Highland Park.

The Shooter

The man charged with killing seven people legally bought the high-powered rifle used in the shooting and four other weapons, despite threatening violence, police said.

Robert E. Crimo III was charged with seven counts of murder Tuesday in the shooting.
His arrest came after he was spotted by a North Chicago police officer following a short chase.
Prosecutors will seek dozens more charges.

Crimo climbed to the roof of a business using a ladder in an alley.
He used a high-powered rifle similar to an AR-15 to spread more than 70 rounds from atop the building into the parade crowd.

The assault happened less than three years after a family member called police to his home becuase he was threatening “to kill everyone.”

The police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword from the home at that time, but stated there was no sign he had any guns at the time.

That was in September of 2019.

Crimo was able to slip past the safeguards of an Illinois “red flag” law designed to prevent people deemed to have violent tendencies from getting guns.

This has raised questions about the adequacy of the state’s “red flag” laws, even as a prosecutor lauded the system as “strong” during a news conference.

Social media posts written by accounts that seemed to be associated with either Crimo or his rapper alias, Awake The Rapper, often portrayed violent images or messages.

A Streak Of Senseless Gun Violence

Gun violence spiked over the Fourth of July weekend.

There were shootings reported in nearly every U.S. state, killing a total of at least 220 people and wounding close to 570 others, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

At least 11 of the gun violence incidents over the holiday weekend were classified as mass shootings by the Gun Violence Archive.

A mass shooting is any situation where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed or wounded by gunshots.

The parade mass shooting comes with gun violence fresh on the minds of many Americans.
Chicago Police say 68 people were shot in the city between Friday at 6 p.m. and just before midnight on Monday, leaving eight people dead.

Two Philadelphia police offers were shot near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as thousands of people celebrated a Fourth of July concert and fireworks show hours after the shooting in Highland Park.
Both officers were later released from the hospital.

On May 19th, school children and teachers were murdered at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
That happened just ten days after a man shot and killed ten people at a Buffalo, New York grocery store.

In recent weeks, we have seen several notable gun tragedies:

-A shooting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in a Birmingham suburb left at least two people dead, and another hospitalized on June 16th.

-June 13th a man fired gunshots at a Dallas-area gymnasium where at least 150 children were attending a day camp.

-A shooting in front of a nightclub in Chattanooga caused the death of three people, and injuries to 14 others, including one juvenile.

-A gunman killed his surgeon and three others at a medical office on June 1st. The gunman killed himself as police arrived.

Contact The Shunnarah Trial Lawyers For Your Legal Needs

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys strive to help victims and their families who have been affected by personal injuries. If you or a loved one have been injured, call our office today to discuss your case in a free consultation.

References:
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109793161/highland-park-chicago-july-4-shooting-latest
https://apnews.com/article/chicago-july-4-parade-shooting-92b50feb80c19afe7842b9caf08545cb
https://apnews.com/article/gun-violence-chicago-shootings-lake-michigan-9fd3e23a6396aa5e008943fbb260551b
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/shooting-reported-july-4th-parade-route-chicago-suburb-county-sheriff-2022-07-04/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/july-4-parade-shooting-suspect-slipped-past-illinois-red-flag-safeguards-2022-07-06/
https://apnews.com/article/mass-shootings-america-list-901b8663c97acbdde2b0bdba51a86b50

Elon Musk has been in talks to acquire Twitter for what feels like years now if you’ve been following along the entire time.

And there might be one more hurdle to clear before he becomes the owner of the social media platform.

Elon Musk has recently said that his $44-billion offer would not move forward until Twitter shows proof that spam bots account for less than 5% of its total users.

Musk wants to be sure most of Twitter’s active users are real people.

And he said this hours after suggesting he could seek a lower price for the company.

“My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5% (spam accounts). This deal cannot move forward until he does,” Musk said in a tweet.

We’ll try to take a look at what this all means below.

What Are Spam Bots?

Spam bots on Twitter are automated accounts that can do the same things as real human beings.

These accounts can send out tweets, follow other users, and like and retweet postings by others.

However, many people feel like these inauthentic accounts are bad for Twitter and the American population as a whole.

Many spam bots engage in deceptive, harmful, and annoying activities.

Spam bots often have ulterior motives.

For example, bots with a commercial motivation might tweet incessantly to drive traffic to a website for a product or service.

People can also use them to spread misinformation and promote harmful and downright untrue political messages.

During the 2016 presidential election, many people were concerned that Russian bots helped influence the race in favor of Donald Trump, who won it.

Spam bots can also share deceitful links to fake giveaways and other financial scams.

Shortly after announcing his plans to purchase Twitter, Musk said one of his top priorities is to crack down on spam bots that promote scams involving cryptocurrencies.

The Prevalence Of Spam Bots

Twitter has continued to downplay the spread of fake accounts on its platform.

They maintain that “false or spam” accounts make up less than 5% of their user base.

However, several independent researchers said their estimates of spam accounts could be three times higher.

The discrepancies could affect the outcome of Elon Musk’s $44 billion Twitter bid after the billionaire tweeted on Friday that the takeover bid was “temporarily on hold.”

Musk is seeking information about the number of phony Twitter accounts. 

This might just be a negotiating tactic by Musk. Still, nothing is certain when it comes to how these accounts are defined or dispensed with, according to current employees and independent social media researchers.

Estimates are anywhere from 9% to 15% (or more) of the millions of Twitter profiles are automated accounts or bots.

Fake accounts significantly boost Musk’s own follower count.

Of Musk’s current 87.9 million followers, some researchers estimate that roughly 48% are fake.

Musk Wants The Facts

Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media company “cannot move forward” until he sees more information about the prevalence of spam accounts.

A series of tweets from Musk appeared to cast more doubt on the $44 billion deal.

Musk has declared the deal is “temporarily on hold,” but he’s “still committed to acquisition.”

Many people assume the sudden pivot from Musk is just him using the debate over bots to secure a better price for Twitter.

This is either a clever negotiating tactic, or he’s doing it out of necessity.

The bot issue feels like a reason for Musk to bail on the Twitter deal or talk down a lower price.

Even if he’s given the requested information, Twitter’s leaders are skeptical of Musk’s ability to use the data to find previously undetected information.

Twitter’s data stream has been available to companies that pay Twitter to analyze it for years.

Those companies, along with analysts and Silicon Valley insiders, contend that Musk is using the data requests to wiggle out of the deal or negotiate a lower price.

Twitter Agrees To Cooperate

The Twitter vs. Musk Cold War may finally end as Twitter’s board plans to comply with Elon Musk’s demands for internal data.

They are offering Musk access to its massive data stream comprising more than 500 million tweets posted daily.

This is according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking, who spoke anonymously.

The move seeks to end the battle over spam accounts with the billionaire.

The information should be provided very soon, according to the anonymous source.

About two dozen companies currently pay for access to the trove, including the numbers of phony accounts.

These companies get a real-time record of tweets, the devices they tweet from, and information about the accounts that tweet.

Musk and his legal team contend the data stream is needed to better understand the amount of spam and bot activity on its platform.

They insist that figure could influence the company’s potential ad revenue.

Contact The Shunnarah Trial Lawyers For Your Legal Needs.

References:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/08/elon-musk-twitter-bot-data/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/16/tech/elon-musk-twitter-spam-bots-parag/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/technology/do-spam-bots-really-comprise-under-5-twitter-users-elon-musk-wants-know-2022-05-13/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/why-spam-bots-are-top-of-elon-musks-twitter-hit-list/2022/04/28/a4b3afd2-c6ac-11ec-8cff-33b059f4c1b7_story.html
https://time.com/6171726/elon-musk-fake-followers/