Zika and "Crossing the Potomac"*

It appears the inevitable Zika outbreak is upon us, particularly in the Southeast. Local governments are scrambling to control the mosquitos and slow the spread of the disease, but some of the damage is already done and there is s nonzero number of pregnant women who now have the disease. Most adults will be able to get through the disease with bad flu symptoms, and a small percentage can contract Kreutzfeld-Jakob disease (and suffer an horrific death).

But fetuses in the womb are susceptible to microcephaly, which will doom to a short life full of pain, severe mental retardation, and being a social pariah. A strong argument can be made that abortion after the microcephaly diagnosis may be the most humane course of action. It certainly will be easiest on the mother.

Now the Zika virus is about to run up against politics in a big way. The Zika infection very soon will cross borders into the states with the most restrictive anti abortion laws. What will happen when women who are carrying fetuses with microcephaly are unable to obtain abortion services?

Will state governments relax their restrictive laws?

Will women be forced to bare these children and their burdens?

Or will women be forced through desperation to seek illegal and unsafe back-alley abortions?

What say you?

(*Two ways to cross the Potomac - Roe vs Wade)