Published by | | | | Almost two years ago, I had a conversation with a friend that sparked an idea for a story. She's an OB/GYN who practices in rural Mississippi, where most of her colleagues were staunch conservatives. I asked her how they broached the subject of abortion with patients who might be unsure about their pregnancies. She had a simple answer for me: They don't. Before that conversation, I'd never thought about my doctor's politics. It didn't seem relevant. My OB/GYN is a medical professional — so of course she is going to provide objective advice and care. But then I discovered the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, an organization with over 4,500 members who pledge to keep abortion out of their practice. That's far fewer than belong to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the leading professional organization for OB/GYNs, but still a pretty significant number. Antiabortion doctors were everywhere, I realized. How were they counseling their patients? I did a little searching and came across a name: Byron Calhoun. He is one of the only high-risk pregnancy doctors in West Virginia, where patients drive for hours for that kind of care. He is also an internationally known antiabortion activist. | | | Lily reporter Caroline Kitchener working on the story about Byron Calhoun. (Neema Roshania Patel/The Washington Post) | There were already a few articles about him online, mostly about the role he played in a 2014 lawsuit filed against a West Virginia abortion clinic. Calhoun had encouraged a former clinic patient to sue after claiming to have found a 13-week fetal skull in her uterus. The case was quickly dismissed, because medical records showed no fetal skull. Local women wrote letters calling for his resignation. In court records, the judge expressed disbelief that a doctor would insert himself into a case in this way. I wanted to hear from his patients. Over the next few months, I scoured infant obituaries in the area where he practices, because he treats patients with fatal anomalies. I read through hundreds of pages of lawsuits that had been filed against him. I called up more than a dozen OB/GYNs in the region. Then I drove six hours to Charleston, W.Va., to meet with some of the women he'd counseled. West Virginia is one of the most antiabortion states in the country, and I found that many of Calhoun's patients appreciated how he allowed his personal beliefs to shape his care. Coronavirus put this story on hold for 10 months. I picked it up again earlier this year, reconnecting with dozens of sources I'd already interviewed, and adding many more into the mix. This is the most ambitious reporting project I've ever taken on. I'm very excited to finally share it with you. | Do you have an experience with an antiabortion OB/GYN? Email us. | | | | Three need-to-know stories | | (J. Scott Applewhite/AP; Washington Post illustration) | 01.The woman known pseudonymously known as "Jane Roe" in the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade never got her abortion. Her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption, publicly revealed her identity last week in a book excerpt published in the Atlantic. The reveal comes as the Biden administration is suing Texas to try to block the nation's most restrictive abortion law. 02.The Taliban announced last week that women will not be allowed to play sports. The ban may not have come as a shock — but it still brought pain for Afghan athletes, one cyclist told The Lily. Now, many women athletes feel they have a bounty on their heads. 03.Britain's Emma Raducanu, 18, won her first Grand Slam title Saturday at the U.S. Open with a thrilling 6-4, 6-3 win over Canada's Leylah Fernandez, completing her thrilling tournament without dropping a single set. For the achievement, the recent high school graduate collected a $2.5 million check that will boost her year-to-date earnings of $268,191 roughly 10-fold. Fernandez, 19, collected $1.25 million as the runner-up. | | | | | A story to make you smile | | (Courtesy of Brittany Starks) | Yulanda Norton was in a bind: A nursing assistant in Nashville who lost her job during the pandemic, Norton couldn't afford to get her daughters' hair braided before school started up again. But then the 49-year-old mother of six stumbled upon a Facebook post in a local group from a woman she did not know, offering to braid children's hair free. "Anyone know single parents who can't afford to get their child's hair done for school? I will braid it for free! Please DM me," Brittany Starks, 29, wrote on Aug. 4. A single mother who works three jobs to support her two children, Starks was compelled to offer her hair braiding services after a family friend spontaneously delivered backpacks full of school supplies, clothing and shoes for her kids in early August. Norton wasn't the only parent who benefited from Starks's hair-braiding — and now Starks plans to make this an ongoing initiative. Read more from Sydney Page in The Washington Post. | | | | But before we part, some recs | | (Jesse Dittmar for The Washington Post) | Rachel OrrDesign editor, The LilyHow I'm starting my day:A morning meditation hour with my friend and neighbor, Elizabeth. In preparation for more months ahead of working from home and winter on the horizon, we have started alternating mornings at each other's homes, where we read morning meditation books, pull tarot cards and ease into the day. It's a blessing. What I'm reading right now:On a recent episode of Dan Savage's podcast, he interviewed Ina Park, a doctor and STD researcher, and I knew I had to pick up her latest book, "Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs." It's a fascinating and humorous read. How I'm listening to music:Spotify recently introduced a feature called "Blends," where you can connect your account with a friend's and Spotify creates a playlist that mixes both your music tastes. It will also tell you what percentage of a music match you are. My highest match with a friend so far? A whopping 95 percent. | | | | | |
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