Elisabeth Weber, a 31-year-old mother from Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. was denied immediate medical care after discovering her fetus no longer had a heartbeat, due to her states strict abortion laws. For weeks, she was forced to carry the non-viable pregnancy, describing the emotional trauma as feeling like her womb becomes a tomb. Weber, who already has three daughtersNeveah, 8; Story, 5; and Finley, 18 monthsand previously lost a son to SIDS in 2018, had been excitedly preparing for the arrival of her next child, whom she and her husband Thomas had named Lorenzo Thomas Weber, or Enzo. However, on March 27, 2025, during a routine check-up at nine weeks pregnant, she was told the fetus had stopped growing three weeks earlier, and no heartbeat could be detected. Despite this, she was instructed to go home and wait for her body to miscarry naturally. I was still completely bedridden with nausea, throwing up constantly, Weber said, noting that she suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a condition causing severe pregnancy sickness. My body was not recognizing that I wasnt pregnant anymore. When she returned to the emergency room days later, desperate for a dilation and curettage (D&C)a common procedure used to remove tissue from the uterusshe was told she would have to wait due to South Carolinas abortion ban, commonly referred to as the heartbeat bill. The law prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, once a fetal heartbeat can typically be detected. My baby didnt have a heartbeat, and it still prevented me from getting care, she said. I was told, Because of the law, we legally have to wait. Even though her pregnancy was non-viable, she was told nothing could be done unless she began hemorrhaging or became septic. During this traumatic waiting period, Weber posted a video to TikTok from her car that quickly went viral. My baby is dead. Theres no heartbeat. And now I have to wait another week, knowing my baby is dead to do anything about it, she said tearfully in the video. Eventually, a patient advocate helped her find another hospital. Tests revealed she had developed an infection, but she was still denied a D&C because she didnt meet the legal criteria. She was instead sent home with painkillers. I felt like I couldnt even grieve, she told PEOPLE. This loss brought up everything from when I lost my son to SIDS. And on top of that, the financial burden was crushingneither of us could work, and my husbands Crohns disease flared from the stress. When she was finally allowed to undergo the procedure, the word abortion appeared on her paperwork. It broke me, she said. Now, Weber is speaking out in hopes of sparking change. I hope some good comes out of this really terrible situation. This is dangerous for women. This is hurting women. With the procedure behind her, she says shes finally able to start grieving the loss of her son. My little Enzo.
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