“Why don’t you get dressed and come down to my office,” the doctor said, cocking her head to one side. “We can review your medical history so that you can have all of the information that you need to make sure that this a healthy pregnancy. I can even give you a referral to a good obstetrician.”

  Rylee clutched her medical gown tightly across her ribs. “I don’t need a referral,” she told the woman. “I just want to go home.”

  “I can’t medically discharge you until we review the next steps, Rylee,” Dr. Phillips told her, her tone brisk and no-nonsense. “We have a small amount of information to go over with you and then you’re free to leave.”

  Rylee pushed herself off of the exam bed. “Fine,” she groused. “Let me get dressed.”

  A short time later, Rylee found herself in the doctor’s office. It didn’t even look like a proper office. The doctor’s desk was small. Just large enough for a small laptop and a few files. Two rather worn guest chairs sat next to it. A large bookcase, shelves littered with randomly piled books stood next to the door.

  Dr. Phillips looked up, smiling as she gestured for Rylee to take a seat. “There’s just a few things that I need to clarify and then you’ll be on your way.”

  Rylee sat down, perched on the edge of the seat. “What things?” she asked suspiciously.

  There was a light knock on the door almost immediately followed by an older woman poking her head in. “Sorry for the delay,” she said.

  “No problem, Sandy,” the doctor responded. “We’re just getting started.”

  The woman crossed the room and took a seat next to Rylee. “Hi, Rylee,” she said. “I’m Sandy Walsh, the center’s volunteer social worker.”

  Rylee glared suspiciously at her, then looked over to Dr. Phillips. “Why do I need to talk with a social worker?” she asked, completely ignoring Walsh.

  “It’s a part of our procedure to include a social worker in our discussion just in case you need assistance or more information on community resources,” the doctor said in a reassuring voice.

  Rylee didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I don’t need assistance or information on community resources,” she stated in a firm voice. “I just want to go home.”

  “I understand, Rylee,” Walsh told her. “We’ll make this as quick as possible.”

  “Let’s start with your date of birth,” the doctor asked, encouragingly.

  Rylee looked from one woman to the other. Something didn’t seem right. “You should already have that,” she finally replied, eyeing the paperwork on the doctor’s small desk.

  “I just need to confirm,” the doctor replied, giving her a warm smile.

  “Fine,” Rylee replied, with a crisp and impatient tone that she’d learned from her father. “December 19th, 2009.”

  “The intake form indicates that you’re not currently married,” Dr. Phillips told her, looking over the form in question. “Can you confirm that for me, please?”

  Rylee leaned forward, angry at the sudden invasion of her privacy. “Why is that any of your business?” she demanded.

  The doctor looked up, slowly shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Rylee,” she told her. “I just need to confirm this for the record.”

  “I don’t care what you need for your records,” Rylee replied. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. “I don’t believe you. I can’t possibly be pregnant.”

  The social worker leaned towards her, her voice gentle but insistent. "What makes you say that, Rylee?”

  “My medical condition is none of your business,” Rylee ground out.

  “It is if it has an impact on your pregnancy,” the doctor pointed out. “We've confirmed a fetal heartbeat.” She cocked her head to one side. “You were offered a chance to see your baby during the ultrasound. The heartbeat was visible on the monitor.”

  Rylee folded her arms and glared. “What part of this don’t you understand?” she demanded in a loud voice. “I just want to go home!”

  The social worker tried to put her hand on Rylee’s shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “Calm down and let us help you, Rylee,” she said, her voice gentle but insistent.

  Rylee's eyes flashed with anger. “I don’t need your help. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!”

  Dr. Phillips exchanged a look with the social worker before continuing. "We’re here to ensure your safety and the safety of your baby.”

  “What are you talking about?!” Rylee snarled. “I’m fine!”

  Walsh gave her a look that was meant to be reassuring, but to Rylee, it was just more of the same condescending behavior that both women kept throwing her way.

  “Rylee,” she said. “We just want to help.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she snapped. She grabbed her purse and stood up.

  Dr. Phillips looked at Rylee, then Walsh. “Perhaps it’s better if I talk to Rylee alone, Sandy,” she said. “What do you think, Rylee? It won’t take more than a few minutes.”

  Rylee sighed in frustration. “Fine.” She sat down and placed her purse back on the floor.

  “I’ll be right outside if you need me,” Walsh said. “I just need to make a quick phone call.” She nodded at Dr. Phillips and quietly left the room.

  “I’m sorry about that, Rylee,” the doctor told her, brushing her dark blond hair behind her ears. “Many of our clients need help with finding community support programs and that’s why I always include a social worker in our discussions.”

  “I’m not your typical client,” Rylee reminded her. “I don’t need your help. I just want to go home.”

  Dr. Phillips nodded. “I understand,” she said in a gentle voice. “Let’s just review the information that was provided to us and fill in the blanks. Does that work?”

  “Fine.”

  “I see here that you reported no previous pregnancies,” the doctor said as she ran a pen down the side of the intake form. “Is that correct?”

  Rylee clenched her teeth. “Yes, no pregnancies.”

  “Do you have any history of tobacco use, including vaping, alcohol, or recreational drugs?” the doctor asked, looking up.

  “No,” Rylee responded, glaring at the doctor.

  “Are you currently living in a safe environment?” The doctor asked.

  “What are you talking about?” Rylee growled. “My parents . . . My father is on the board of trustees for River Hills and my mom volunteers for a half-dozen charities!”

  Dr. Phillips only looked at her expectantly. “I am required to provide a yes or no to this question, Rylee,” she said.

  “Yes!” Rylee yelled. “I live in a safe environment!”

  The doctor ignored Rylee’s agitation as she methodically worked through the list of questions. Some of them Rylee refused to answer, like ‘Do you have financial concerns regarding your pregnancy’. Others were just infuriating, like ‘Do you have access to a regular healthcare provider’.

  Finally, the doctor sat back in her chair. “Thank you, Rylee,” she said with a tired smile. “I know that this was difficult, but we need this information so that we can help you.”

  “Help me?” Rylee hissed. She grabbed her purse and quickly stood up, her stomach churning. “I think we’re done, here!”

  The office door opened and Walsh walked in. As she closed the door behind her, Rylee could see two uniformed police officers standing in the hallway.

  Rylee glared at the social worker. “You called the police?!” she shrieked. “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

  The doctor wordlessly gave Walsh the intake form. “I was able to get a small amount of information, but not enough for you to be able to make a quick determination.”

  Rylee looked from one woman to the other. “What are you talking about?” she demanded. “Determination? I told you! I don’t believe your so-called test. I can’t get pregnant!”

  Dr. Phillips gave her a grave look. “It’s going to be okay,” she told her.

  “How?” Rylee hissed back. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  Walsh put the intake form back on the desk and looked at Rylee. “Rylee, I need to ask you two more questions,” she said. “Just two.”

  “And then I can leave?” Rylee growled.

  Walsh nodded.

  “I don’t believe you,” Rylee spat. “What about the police? Why are they here?”

  The social worker sighed. “It was my legal obligation to call them.”

  “Legal obligation?” Rylee whispered, livid. “What legal obligation?”

  “When someone may be a danger to themselves or someone in the community, we are obligated to call the police,” Walsh told her.

  Rylee clenched her eyes shut. “I am not suicidal,” she told them. “I just want to go home.”

  “I understand,” Walsh told her. “I just need you to answer two simple questions. Is that alright?”

  “Fine,” Rylee hissed.

  “The ultrasound test that you received confirmed this morning showed your child’s heartbeat,” Walsh told her. “Is that correct?”

  Rylee rolled her eyes. “That’s what they told me, but I don’t believe it.”

  Walsh looked at Dr. Phillips.

  “She refused to look at the monitor, Sandy,” the doctor replied to her unspoken question.

  The social worker nodded. “Understood.” She looked down for a moment. “Next question, Rylee. “Do you plan to harm yourself or your unborn child?”

  Rylee glared at her. “I am not pregnant,” she yelled. “What part of this do you not understand? The tests are wrong. I need to go home so that I can get a second opinion. Something may be wrong but I am not pregnant!

  Walsh looked at her for a long moment, then walked to the door. She opened it and gestured to the officers. “Officers, I recommend emergency detention for this patient. Based on my evaluation, she poses a significant risk to herself and her unborn child.” She stood aside to let the officers enter the small room.

  “Detention?” Rylee shrieked. “You can’t do that! I have rights!”

  “I’ll submit my assessment to the court as soon as we’re done here,” Walsh told them. “It will include the information that Rylee Williams voluntarily provided, the pregnancy test and ultrasound results, and witness statements.”

  “Unbelievable,” Rylee breathed. She sat down, almost feeling like her legs failed her. “I am not pregnant!”

  Dr. Phillips studied her with an expression of detached sympathy. “I understand that it may be difficult to accept, Rylee, but the law is very clear. We need to ensure that you and your baby are safe.”

  “Hello, Ms. Williams,” one of the officers said to her. She looked up, searching his round face for any bit of compassion.

  “Why are you doing this?” she groaned.

  “Based on the evaluation provided, we need to take you into custody for your own safety,” he told her. “If you’ll come with us, please?

  “Am I under arrest?” Rylee demanded. “I have the right to know what I’m being arrested for! And I demand to see my attorney!”

  “You are not under arrest, ma’am,” the woman told her. “You are being taken into custody under the Wisconsin Unborn Child Protection Act so that Child Protection Services can determine if your child is at risk for harm due to drugs, alcohol, or elective termination.”

  “Elective what?!”

  “An abortion,” Dr. Phillips told her.

  “I never said anything about wanting an abortion!” Rylee yelled.

  “After a doctor has completely your evaluation, you’ll be seen by a family judge,” the other officer stated, trying to cut through her protests with a dry, matter-of-fact tone. “Whether you are released on your own recognizance will be up to the judge.” He paused. “You have the right to be informed—”

  “Wait,” Rylee interjected. “You told me that I wasn’t under arrest!”

  “You’re not,” she was told. “These rights ensure that you are treated fairly and with respect while you are in detention.”

  She turned to the doctor, fists clenched with rage. “You lied to me!” she said, cutting through the officer’s litany of her ‘rights’. “You told me that I could go home after I answered your questions!”

  Dr. Phillips gave her a sad look. “Rylee, this is what’s best for you and your unborn baby.”

  Rylee glared at her. There was no baby! How many times did she have to repeat it?

  “You have the right to appeal if you believe that it was unjustified or improperly conducted,” the officer told her. “Do you have any questions before we go?”

  “My attorney will have plenty!” Rylee told him.

  Officer Schmidt sighed. “Okay, then. Please come with us.”

  Rylee glared at him. “No,” she spat defiantly. She was a Williams. She didn’t have to take this crap.

  The other officer held up a pair of handcuffs. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be,” he warned her.

  Rylee stood there for a moment and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, then another, pushing all of her rage and confusion down to a manageable level.

  “Fine,” she spat. “No handcuffs.”

  She glared at the officer until he returned the handcuffs to the holster. “I’ll go with you, but this isn’t over.” She took a deep breath, pulling herself tall as she turned her attention to Dr. Phillips. “I can guarantee that my family will be suing Faith and Prayers, the City of Milwaukee, and you personally, doctor.”

  The doctor flinched. “We’re only following the law, Ms. Williams,” she told her. “Nothing more.”

  The female officer gestured towards the door. “This way, miss.”

  “We’ll see about that, doctor,” Rylee told her, gathering her purse and her pride as she walked to the doorway. “Our attorneys can be very persuasive.”

  She ignored the officers as she coolly swept into the main waiting room, almost as if she was walking into a crowded dance floor. Part of her knew that she was probably making a mistake by letting people see her being taken into custody like this. But the women who were waiting to be seen deserved to see how Faith and Prayers handled things.

  She was a Williams. Her family set the example for the community to follow. No one would see her cry. Not now. Not ever.

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  Author's Notes

  June 7, 2024

  The Unborn Child Protection Act series is set in a dystopian future. A place where pregnant women who are either unmarried or, in the midst of a divorce, are detained if a fetal heartbeat is detected. Where the State of Wisconsin takes the idea of personal responsibility to such an extreme that pregnant women have been reduced to 'fetal host' status. A place where society is ill-prepared for the consequences imposed by the state legislature and the United States Supreme Court.

  So, how did we get here? Our story begins the moment that women in the United States lost their right to self-determination.

  On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that made access to abortion a federal right in the United States. This decision dismantled over fifty years of legal protection, paving the way for individual states to restrict or outright ban a woman’s right to bodily autonomy.

  Justice Alito delivered the High Court’s opinion1. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely—the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and ‘implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.’”

  Prior to 1973, abortion had been illegal in 30 states and was only legal under specific circumstances in the remainder. Justice Alito pointed out that common law had long recognized abortion as a criminal offense, in at least some stage of pregnancy. Common law as early as the sixteenth century declared that abortion was a crime, at least after ‘quickening’—i.e., the first movement of the fetus felt in the womb.

  Other federal rights that relied on the Fourteenth Amendment were also put in jeopardy by the ruling, including interracial and same-sex marriages, as well as religious and gender-related discrimination.

  Following the Supreme Court ruling, Wisconsin abortion clinics halted elective abortions2. Many of them relocated over the border in neighboring states, as women who needed abortions traveled across state lines to receive them. Planned Parenthood launched a mobile abortion clinic initiative to cut down travel time, and the costs associated with seeking abortion care.

  Governor Evers called a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature on October 4, 2022. He requested that the legislature create a pathway to repeal Wisconsin’s 1849-era criminal abortion ban. In response, Wisconsin’s Senate convened for 15 seconds, long enough to gavel in and adjourn without taking action.

  Milwaukee County circuit judge Janet Protasiewicz’s election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Spring 2023 tipped the Court to a 4-3 liberal majority. However, the election of conservative Dan Knodl3 would have handed Republicans a supermajority in the state senate. This injected a high degree of uncertainty into state politics, as this would allow Wisconsin’s senate to impeach state officials, including a state supreme court justice. By early 2024, the Comstock Act – enacted by Congress in 1873 to ban the mailing of 'lewd' materials – was raised as a viable dissent in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM) v. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) case before the U.S. Supreme Court. 4If successful, this lawsuit would effectively ban the use of misoprostol in the United States.

 

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