CV NEWS FEED // As news of a young pregnant woman’s untimely death circulates on social media, a doctor says that abortion advocates are wrong to blame pregnancy for the mother’s death.
The New Yorker released an article on January 8 covering the death of Yeniifer “Yeni” Alvarez-Estrada Glick, a Hispanic immigrant living in Texas who passed away in July 2022. On X, abortion advocates now blame Texan pro-life laws for “killing” Glick.
Glick was 31 weeks pregnant when she passed away, but her pregnancy was considered “high-risk” from the beginning. She had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes some years before, and The New Yorker reported that she was overweight. These complications led to several emergency room visits throughout her pregnancy.
Despite requiring extensive medical attention, Glick did not have health insurance. Under some circumstances, undocumented pregnant women can receive government financial assistance, which Glick applied for. She never received a response, and medical bills discouraged her from staying in the hospital for prolonged treatment.
Her medications for diabetes and high blood pressure were more than she could afford as well. Though her OB-GYN warned her about the risks of skipping her blood pressure medications, Glick sometimes avoided taking her medications because they were expensive and made her feel “nauseated and sleepy.”
According to her OB-GYN, not taking the medications put Glick at high risk for a heart attack, stroke, or miscarriage.
Glick later developed shortness of breath caused by increased fluid in her lungs. In July, when her symptoms became worse and her blood pressure skyrocketed, she was transferred to a hospital via helicopter.
Both Glick and her 31-week-old unborn daughter, Selene, passed away on the way to the hospital.
Glick’s cause of death was officially listed as “hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with morbid obesity. Pregnancy was listed as a contributing factor.
The New Yorker reported that four medical experts called pregnancy the main cause of death and blamed Texas’ pro-life laws for causing more deaths in pregnant women. In addition, the nonprofit Abortion Access Fund reposted the article on X, saying that “Yeni Glick died because of abortion bans.”
Planned Parenthood Texas Votes also posted the story on X, saying that Texas’ Heartbeat Act—which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy—is “dangerous.”
Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OB-GYN and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told The Christian Post that it is incorrect to blame pro-life laws for Glick’s death.
“The narrative that promotes induced abortion as a Band-Aid solution to the complex factors contributing to our nation’s maternal mortality crisis does nothing to improve women’s health and, in fact, actively endangers women as it prevents us from addressing the real, and often preventable, causes,” Francis said.
“Yeni and Selene deserved access to a well-resourced medical team that were equipped to adequately care for them,” she continued. “The tragedy of their deaths should spur us to work towards real solutions, not be used to advance a radical political agenda.”
