Stanton, Kentucky CNN —All Heather and Nick Maberry wanted to do was hold their dead baby, but strict Kentucky abortion laws meant they couldn’t. They were “furious” that the laws meant they never got to kiss or cuddle their daughter, Willow Rose, or tell her goodbye, Heather said. The Maberrys wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but a near-complete abortion ban in their state doesn’t have exceptions for birth defects – even severe ones like anencephaly. CNN reached out to three sponsors of Kentucky abortion laws to ask why fatal fetal anomalies aren’t an exception to the current laws. While she was willing to take that risk for a live baby, Willow was not going to live.

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Persons: Heather, Nick Maberry, ”, Willow Rose, “ We’ll, We’ll, “ We’re, we’ve, –, Maberrys, “, ” Heather, Nick, Heather Maberry, Heather Neace Maberry Heather, ‘, Heather Neace Maberry, gravidarum, “ I’d, Anencephaly, Willow, ‘ We’ll, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” “ Organizations: Kentucky CNN, Kentucky Medicaid, CNN, Maberrys, Facebook, University of Kentucky, National Institutes of Health, Heather’s, CNN Health, Family Planning, of Chicago Locations: Stanton, Kentucky, Madison, Aubrie, Stanton , Kentucky, Lexington, Chicago