She said she miscarried. Then she was arrested.
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 October 2024
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Patience Frazier said she had a miscarriage in April 2018. A month later, police were at her door, asking about a Facebook post and a cross in her backyard. Today, the story of Frazier, and what happens when someone is prosecuted under an abortion law.
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Patience Frazier was charged with manslaughter under an abortion law from 1911. It was a rare instance of a woman who sought an abortion facing prosecution.
Host Martine Powers is joined by reporter Caroline Kitchener to talk about Frazier’s story, the aftermath of her arrest, and the sheriff’s deputy who pushed for her prosecution.
Today’s episode was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, and edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon.
Thanks to Peter Wallsten, Bishop Sand and Lucas Trevor.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In states across the country, abortion is on the ballot. People will be voting to either |
| 0:08.3 | enshrine abortion protections or to strengthen restrictions. |
| 0:13.0 | So today, we bring you a story from our colleague Caroline Kitchener |
| 0:17.0 | about what can happen when people are prosecuted for having or seeking an abortion. |
| 0:22.0 | The story starts in 2018 with a moment caught on the body camera of a sheriff's deputy in rural Nevada. |
| 0:30.0 | And as a heads up, you'll hear some graphic descriptions and strong language in this episode. |
| 0:37.0 | The footage starts with a scene on a porch. |
| 0:40.0 | It's a Saturday morning in May 2018. The first thing that you see is a woman. |
| 0:46.0 | She is standing there in socks and leggings and she looks just really distraught. |
| 0:53.2 | Who are those guys? |
| 0:55.0 | Well, let me explain something to you. |
| 0:57.0 | Okay. |
| 0:58.0 | This might be a little bit hard to hear, |
| 1:01.0 | but there is a sheriff's deputy talking to her and there are other |
| 1:04.2 | officers kind of spreading out around the perimeter of her house. Those |
| 1:10.8 | officers are in full tactical gear with guns and tactical vests with the words sheriff and police on their backs. |
| 1:22.0 | And those are. sheriff and those officers, they're there that morning to interview a woman named |
| 1:29.3 | Patience Frazier. She's 26 years old and they are coming because they believe that she may have |
| 1:38.0 | committed a crime. |
| 1:39.8 | So who's able? able? Nothing. |
| 1:45.0 | Nothing. |
| 1:48.0 | Who's able? |
... |
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