At 23 weeks, Chloe discovered that her unborn baby had a severe birth defect that would likely lead to its demise. However, due to Arizona legislation, she was required to continue the pregnancy until delivery.

Chloe, a mother from Arizona, is speaking out after being compelled to carry her non-viable fetus to term. She was initially thrilled to discover she was pregnant with a girl in January 2022, hoping for her two daughters to be close friends.

However, at 23 weeks, she found out that her baby had a severe birth defect known as alobar holoprosencephaly, which would likely result in a stillbirth or the baby passing away shortly after birth. Devastated by the news, Chloe was faced with limited options under Arizona law.

She could get an abortion by 24 weeks, go to an out-of-state clinic, or continue the pregnancy. Opting for termination, Chloe’s decision was thwarted by Arizona’s 15-week ban with exceptions only for situations where continuing the pregnancy poses a “serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” for the mother.

Chloe’s situation worsened when her OB-GYN refused to induce labor for termination, leaving her feeling trapped and helpless.

Despite attempting to go out of state for the procedure, her appointment was canceled due to safety concerns after sharing her story on social media. At 30 weeks pregnant, Chloe was forced to continue carrying her non-viable baby, which took a severe toll on her mental health, causing her to become extremely depressed and emotionally detached from her loved ones.

Chloe found it particularly difficult to discuss her pregnancy when in public, adding to her already immense pain and suffering.

Chloe recounted the emotional burden of having to answer innocent questions from strangers about her pregnancy while in public. She said that people would often ask about the gender and due date of her baby, and while she would answer politely, she would feel overwhelmed by the knowledge that her baby would never survive. “It’s a baby that’s never gonna live,” Chloe said, describing the weight of carrying a non-viable pregnancy to term.

Chloe’s daughter, Laila, was born in September 2022, but was unable to breathe properly and was unable to be fed. Chloe was told that Laila would not survive for very long and was transferred to hospice care. Laila passed away after 44 hours of being alive.

Despite her initial decision not to hold Laila, Chloe changed her mind and held her daughter as she passed away. The experience left Chloe with anxiety and depressive disorder, as well as postpartum depression. Looking back, Chloe still feels immense sadness and believes that the situation was not fair to either her or her daughter.

She maintains that if she had the option to terminate the pregnancy, she would have taken it.