Everyone must talk about fetal anomalies.
JILL AND MATT'S STORYJill and Matt are the common southern couple in Charleston, SC. Matt is a Brewer at a very popular brewery and Jill owns her own hair salon. They have a relationship wrapped in faith derived from their upbringings. They got married in April of 2021 and pregnant with their first child in April of 2022.
On July 27th, their world was shattered when they received the devastating news that their cherished, soon-to-be first born was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). HLHS has a spectrum of severity and there can be potential for medical management, but it is never cured.
Jill and Matt have been unjustly victimized by the government of South Carolina and Supreme Court overturn of Roe v Wade.
On June 27th 2022, the South Carolina Republican led legislature banned abortion after 6 weeks of gestation, which is 12 to 16 weeks earlier than HLHS can be detected. At the time, there were exceptions to the ban for rape, incest or the life of the mother but no exceptions for fetal anomalies.
Matt and Jill had decided to name their first born Ivy Grace. Although she is no longer with us, Ivy continues to give them grace, helping them come out of their nightmare with enough strength to share their story with the world.
#GIVINGGRACE
IVY GRACE PROJECT GOALS1. Continued vocalization against the government’s proposed control over women’s healthcare. Jill will be testifying at the South Carolina House meeting in January 2023 with the hopes to educate legislatures on their devastating short-term impacted decisions regarding abortion. The Ivy Grace Project is going to capture and release all footage associated with the testimony.
2. Ivy Grace Project is working on a long form documentary by collecting and telling other people’s stories who have been affected by the catastrophic turnover of Roe v Wade by the ultra conservative Supreme Court. If you would like for you, your family and/or your story to be considered for a feature in the documentary, please email us at contact@ivygraceproject.com.
3. Start and create a social media presence with a focus on educational aspects regarding abortion and women's healthcare (since so many people are interested enough to try and control it without actually learning about it). A prioritized topic will be how government’s are skirting responsibilities by making exceptions for “fatal” fetal anomalies; however, this would not include an infinite amount of healthcare situations.
4. Set up a non-profit to help other women located in red states that have turned their back on them. The non-profit will focus on paying for surgical operation, doctor’s visits, medications, flights, hotels, rental cars and other expenses associated with out-of-state care.
5. Gauge and assess interest in forming a class action lawsuit for people that have been negatively impacted on a financial, mental and physical level by the short-sighted and cruel decisions made by state and federal government officials.
6. Get Jill and Matt the chance to speak face to face to Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, Henry McCaster and Nancy Mace.
Ivy Grace Project’s major short term goal is if these government officials continue to try and regulate abortion, at a minimum, the laws must include wording regarding fetal anomalies and life of the mother as those are essentially the only reasons why a second or third trimester abortion is needed and performed.
We hope to help make a big enough impact to codify abortion rights and one day live in a world where Republican U.S. legislatures remember their role is to help the people of the United States, not hurt them. They need to refocus their attention on the fundamental basics of why a government even exists like economic policy, military protection and strong infrastructure.
ABOUT HYPOPLASTIC LEFT HEART SYNDROMEHLHS is a severe congenital cardiac condition where the left side of the heart of the fetus is not developed. HLHS has a spectrum of severity and there can be potential for medical management, but it is never cured. HLHS is fatal without multiple surgeries starting at birth & typically heart transplantation, if available, is required.
Depending on the spectrum of severity, babies born with HLHS are subjected to medical treatments that include multiple surgeries with eventual heart transplantation, lengthy ICU hospitalizations, ventilators, monitors, feeding tubes, intravenous catheters, 24/7 home care & extended administration of cardiac, blood pressure & immunosuppressant medications along with high doses of narcotics for pain control.
Due to not enough oxygen being pumped to vital organs during development, HLHS babies can also suffer from life-long neurological deficits such as autism and learning disorders. Intensive psychological & emotional support services for all involved family members is indicated.
Overall financial costs can exceed $3,000,000.
Because HLHS is on a spectrum of severity, there are no right or wrong answers for the families. The only wrong answer can come from a government trying to dictate these painful decisions. Do medical professionals tell the government how to run its military? Why do they get to tell doctors how to care for their patients?
Do medical professionals tell the government how to run its military? No. Then why is the government telling doctors how to care for their patients?
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP- Share this story
- Stay educated on abortion statistics from the CDC
- Vote for Joe Cunningham We are sad to report Joe Cunningham lost to Henry McMaster. Henry McMaster is anti common sense gun reform and anti-women’s healthcare.
- Vote for Dr. Annie Andrews We are sad to report Dr. Annie Andrews lost to her opponent Nancy Mace. Nancy Mace receives donations from the NRA, is anti common sense gun reform and anti-women’s healthcare.
- Register to vote in the 2022 Midterms and vote for democrats down the entire ballot We are happy to report Democrats kept the senate. We are sad to report Democrats lost power in the house, reducing women’s chances of codifying the right to an abortion laws.
- Learn about HLHS
- Donate to Planned Parenthood
Thanks to our partner Call to Activism for helping get the short viral version of this seen, and coordination by Causes Up!
