Sadie & Aaron’s Story
Sadie and Aaron were building the life they had always hoped for. They were raising their daughter, Annie, surrounded by a strong support system, and excited to grow their family.
When they learned they were expecting a baby boy, they were overjoyed. Annie was excited to become a big sister. She carried ultrasound photos around the house, kissed her mother's growing belly, and talked about sharing toys with her baby brother.
They were planning baby showers, maternity photo shoots, getting the nursery set up. Then everything changed.
Last September, just days before Sadie's 20-week anatomy scan, she and Aaron were lying in bed talking about baby names when Sadie suddenly felt a gush of fluid. Something was wrong.
At the hospital, doctors confirmed Sadie's water had broken and she had no amniotic fluid left. Without it, babies can’t develop lungs. There was no medical intervention that could change the outcome. Doctors told them their baby would not survive.
At the same moment they were trying to grieve the loss of their son, doctors were discussing how to protect Sadie’s life. Doctors explained that every day the pregnancy continued increased Sadie’s risk of developing a life-threatening infection or sepsis.
“I didn’t realize the severity of the situation when it came to my wellbeing and my health until I looked over at my husband’s face. It looked like he was terrified that he was going to lose his wife. And that’s when I realized, I could die from this.”
“I didn’t realize the severity of the situation when it came to my wellbeing and my health until I looked over at my husband’s face. It looked like he was terrified that he was going to lose his wife. And that’s when I realized, I could die from this,” Sadie said.
There were no good options. They could wait and see if labor began naturally or induce it. But waiting increased the risk of infection. Chances for hemorrhaging increased and carry greater risks to her health and future fertility. And it could take days, which doctors emphasized she did not have.
Or she could undergo a dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedure—a form of abortion care that doctors explained would be the safest option for her and the most compassionate option for their baby.
"It was the best decision for our family and for Sadie's safety,” Aaron said.
Even then, receiving care was not straightforward. Because of Idaho's abortion ban, doctors had to navigate legal questions and obtain additional approvals before moving forward. Multiple physicians reviewed Sadie's case. Lawyers became part of conversations. LifeFlight was on standby as the family prepared for the possibility that Sadie would need to leave the state for treatment.
“To sit around in a hospital bed not knowing my fate was agonizing,” Sadie said. “You lose your sense of autonomy. Your life and decisions are in someone else’s hands. It’s a complete loss of dignity.”
They learned there was only one physician in Idaho available who could perform the procedure they needed. By chance, she happened to be in Idaho that week. If she had not been there, if her doctors hadn’t advocated for her, and if the lawyers hadn’t finally consented the outcome could have been very different.
“You lose your sense of autonomy. Your life and decisions are in someone else’s hands. It’s a complete loss of dignity.”
Annie was too young to fully understand what had happened. Like many children, she tried to make sense of loss in the only way she knew how. For months afterward, she would look toward the sky and tell her parents that the baby was sleeping. For Sadie and Aaron, moments like that were heartbreaking—a reminder of how much their son was loved by the family waiting for him.
Today, Sadie and Aaron share the story of their son—who they named Ozzy—because they know how easily this could happen to another Idaho family.
They knew about Idaho’s changing laws, but never imagined that they would need abortion care during a wanted pregnancy. For them, abortion was never about ending a pregnancy. It was about navigating a medical tragedy, protecting a mother's life, and making the most compassionate decision possible for a deeply loved baby.
