A newlywed from Arizona was left devastated after Arizona abortion laws forced her to wait to miscarry her baby boy and led to a traumatic emergency surgery. 

Ashley Ortiz of Phoenix was freshly and happily married when she found out in July that she and her husband were expecting a baby.

‘We found out we were gonna have a boy and everything looked great in terms of all the testing,’ Ortiz told Arizona’s Family.

However – at the 20-week ultrasound, Ortiz received the devastating news that her pregnancy was not viable and she was already in pre-term labor.

Ortiz said she felt ‘complete disappointment’ – adding that she was ‘really excited to meet’ her son.

A newlywed from Arizona was left devastated after Arizona abortion laws forced her to wait to miscarry her baby boy and ended up needing a traumatic surgery

Ashley Ortiz of Phoenix was freshly and happily married when she found out in July that she and her husband were expecting a baby

She was admitted to hospital and told that her fetus no chance of surviving – but doctors told her it was illegal to give her medicine to induce delivery because of Arizona’s controversial 15 week abortion ban.

Tragically, there was nothing for Ortiz to do but wait to get really sick or for the baby’s heart to stop.

‘Its very dangerous for people to have to go through that – also heartbreaking for the person, for me, and for my husband,’ the heartbroken wife said.

On Christmas eve – the fetus’s heart stopped. Ortiz was given medicine and she delivered him.

Further tragedy struck when complications due to delayed care occurred during the labor and Ortiz was forced to go into an emergency surgery.

‘It was brutal… physically and emotionally,’ she said.

Because of the blood clotting and the trauma, the surgical procedure took three times as long as it usually would.

She is still processing the grief of losing her baby – which was only amplified by the fact that the intense trauma she went through was preventable.

Ortiz considers herself lucky – there are many other women who have been in similar situations due to Arizona’s harsh abortion laws that saw different outcomes.

Abortion laws in Arizona have been in limbo since

The state’s Legislature approved a repeal of a long-dormant ban on nearly all abortions Wednesday, sending the bill to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it.

However – at the 20-week ultrasound, Ortiz received the devastating news that her pregnancy was not viable and she was already in pre-term labor

She was admitted to hospital and told that her fetus no chance of surviving – but doctors told her it was illegal to give her medicine to induce delivery because of Arizona’s controversial 15 week abortion ban

‘Its very dangerous for people to have to go through that – also heartbreaking for the person, for me, and for my husband,’ the heartbroken wife said

Two Republicans joined with Democrats in the Senate on the 16-14 vote in favor of repealing a Civil War-era ban on abortions that the state’s highest court recently allowed to take effect, AP reported.

The ban on all abortions – which provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, and only allows for procedures done to save a patient’s life – would still be active until the fall.

Hobbs said in a statement that she looks forward to quickly signing the repeal, with a ceremony scheduled for Thursday.

‘Arizona women should not have to live in a state where politicians make decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor,’ Hobbs said. ‘While this repeal is essential for protecting women’s lives, it is just the beginning of our fight to protect reproductive healthcare.’

‘Across the country, women are living in a state of chaos and cruelty caused by Donald Trump,’ Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement on Wednesday.

‘While Arizona Democrats have worked to clean up the devastating mess created by Trump and his extremist allies, the state’s existing ban, with no exception for rape or incest, remains in effect.’

If the repeal bill is signed, a 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy would become Arizona’s prevailing abortion law.

Still, there would likely be a period when nearly all abortions would be outlawed, because the repeal won’t take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, likely in June or July.

Within hours after the vote, efforts were already under way to prevent the older abortion ban from taking effect before the repeal becomes a reality.