Mazie Hirono: “here is some of what Kate wrote: I help run a support group for families who have ended pregnancy after poor prenatal or…”

“here is some of what Kate wrote: I help run a support group for families who have ended pregnancy after poor prenatal or maternal diagnoses. If you're wondering, ``Who are these women who get abortions in the third trimester?'' We are. I am. Parents who love our babies with our entire hearts. Desperate acts like an abortion in the 36th week of pregnancy are brought about only by the most desperate circumstances and are only available to those who can come up with a lot of money quickly. I know. I've been there. My daughter, Laurel, was diagnosed in May 2012 with catastrophic brain malformations . . . that were overlooked until my 35th week of pregnancy. I did not know much about brain disorders at that point. I imagined developmental delay, special education classes, financial pressure, an overhaul of expectations for Laurel's life and my motherhood. Here were the doctors' real expectations for Laurel: a brief life of seizures, full-body muscle cramps, and aspirating her own bodily fluids. It is devastating to lose a child. But, unlike most bereaved parents, women like me will live out the rest of our lives as scapegoats, fuel for an agenda that seeks to strip women and families of our reproductive freedoms. Madam President, it is outrageous and offensive that Donald Trump and his allies in Congress would seek to turn women like Kate into scapegoats for their political agendas.…”