How a pregnancy complication reshaped an Arkansas woman's view of abortion bans

Amna Nawaz:

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, a majority of Republicans continue to oppose abortion. But there's been a shift in opinion among many Americans. More Democrats and independents now say abortion should be legal in all or most cases and find it morally acceptable than they did five years ago.

And, in some cases, there are even conservatives questioning their own views in response to state bans.

Special correspondent Sarah Varney brings us the story of one Arkansas woman whose own pregnancy changed how she sees abortion.

So, I wanted three kids, but after going through everything that I went through and the laws the way they are, I don't want to get pregnant again. I would be scared. Once I get pregnant, my life stops mattering.

Chelsea Stovall, Mother:

I'm Chelsea Stovall, 35, live in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I'm the cook and chef at a day care, mom to two amazing kids. My son is 7, almost 8. He has the biggest personality. He is just wildly energetic.

And then you know my daughter. She is almost 6 now. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with when she grows up. That's for sure.

Sarah Varney:

Chelsea Stovall was born in Kentucky. She was one of seven kids. And after kindergarten, her family moved almost every year.

Chelsea Stovall:

Growing up was -- it was loud. It was crazy. I mean, there was always something going on, always someone to play with. We could make our own hockey team.

Sarah Varney:

No matter where the family landed, Chelsea says they were at church every Sunday without fail.

Chelsea Stovall:

We were sort of evangelical Christian and we would be a part of vacation Bible school in the summer and did a lot of volunteering through church. It was very much a part of everyday life. That's really where my values came from. I mean, that's how I grew up.

Abortion was something that I knew better than to talk about. It was not talked about, just a taboo subject. My family didn't talk about it. My friends' families didn't talk about it. It was not seen as health care. It was something bad.

Sarah Varney:

In 2018, Chelsea gave birth to her son. And then, two years later, her daughter with her then-husband, Thomas.

Thomas Stovall, Father:

I literally ran around this island dozens of times screaming yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Sarah Varney:

Thomas served in the military overseas in Kuwait before he met Chelsea. He'd grown up in a small Mississippi town and was raised in the Southern Baptist church.

Thomas Stovall:

It was very fire and brimstone. It was our way or the highway. That was the very first time I ever heard the word abortion, and that was from a preacher. I was like, well, what is it? He was like, oh, it's wrong. It's a sin. And that was the end of it.

But I hadn't done my own research. I didn't really know nothing about it. I never thought it would affect me.

Chelsea Stovall:

So when I thought I was pregnant in 2022, I was really excited again. I mean, I'd always wanted three kids. And here I was pregnant again for the third time. And so I went to all of my checkups, my OB appointments, and everything was healthy.

Sarah Varney:

Two months later, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and Arkansas' near-total abortion ban went into effect.

Chelsea Stovall:

So, a couple weeks later, I had my anatomy scan, where you find out if you're going to have a boy or girl. The ultrasound tech was so nice, and she was talking and everything, but then she got really quiet at one point.

And when my doctor came in, she said that it was a girl, but that she had a hole where her diaphragm should have been, and her intestines were in her chest cavity and had been strangling her heart and her lungs, and they had not grown, and that she was not going to make it.

I was devastated. This life that I thought that I was going to have was no longer a possibility.

Thomas Stovall:

It was hard. I still remember her scream. I still hear her scream to this day. It made me question everything, my religion. I completely changed.

Sarah Varney:

Five days later, a neonatal specialist confirmed the diagnosis and told Chelsea, if her exam was just four weeks earlier, they could have performed an abortion.

Chelsea Stovall:

I was told that they had a less than 1 percent chance of surviving. They explained all the surgeries that they would have needed and the recoveries. And it was just -- it was not an option. I mean, the baby was not going to make it. It wasn't a matter of if I had to say goodbye. It was a matter of when.

I wanted to say goodbye to her on my own terms, in my own way.

Sarah Varney:

Her options now, continue a risky pregnancy or find care outside Arkansas.

Chelsea Stovall:

So I had to look at surrounding states, Oklahoma, and Missouri. I mean, a lot of states around Arkansas had similar laws in place. And so I had to go to Illinois. First, I had to call the clinic and make sure that they could -- that I could get an appointment, because they were very, very busy. I mean, they had an influx of a lot of patients from other states.

And then I had to figure out childcare for my kids. It was sort of this process of, OK, now what do I need to take care of? OK, now what's next? And how much is it going to cost? And it took all of my savings. I mean, it was six-hour drive. I had to get a hotel room, because it was a couple-day process.

There was a security guard at the front door, and they didn't allow anyone in the building except patients for safety reasons. I was in a pretty bad headspace, because I wasn't at home. You know, my OB, my doctor, that delivered both my other babies, wasn't allowed to deliver my third baby.

I couldn't have my friends by my side. I couldn't have my husband by my side. It was very lonely. After Chelsea went inside, Thomas waited in the car and protesters yelled at him from the sidewalk.

Thomas Stovall:

I remember one of them called me a murderer. And I just looked at him and I was like: "You have no idea who I am, what I'm going through."

Sarah Varney:

The couple drove six hours back to Arkansas to their two kids and their home and a life that suddenly felt foreign.

Thomas Stovall:

I lost my head. I was cloudy. I was cold, cut off, try to self-medicate. And all those things were wrong.

Sarah Varney:

The stress of the experience put a strain on their relationship. But Chelsea says, after some time apart to grieve and process, she and Thomas are working on reconciling.

Today, Chelsea says she's still trying to figure out where she fits spiritually after her abortion.

Chelsea Stovall:

It really changed my values. It changed my opinion on a lot of issues and what people are affected by and what the laws in our country are, because they affect people, whether they realize it or not. They affected me.

Sarah Varney:

And though she doesn't have problems with Christianity itself, she does take issue with people passing laws and making policies in the name of the church. Chelsea is now part of a group of Arkansans suing the state over its abortion law.

Chelsea Stovall:

If more people knew my story, I think that they would understand that abortion is a medical procedure. It is used in a multitude of situations. It's not just used as birth control, which I think a lot of people see it as.

I think that that's how I used to see it when I was younger growing up in the church. I carried that view until I needed one.

Sarah Varney:

For "PBS News Hour," I'm Sarah Varney.