Iowa Conservative Christian Woman Says Medical Care Was Denied After Fatal Pregnancy Diagnosis
Jessica Djukanovic, a conservative wrestling coach, mother of four, and devoted voter for the “Traditional Values and Strict Legislation Party,” says she was “shocked and appalled” to learn that the laws she helped usher into place now treat her life as less important than a non-viable fetus.
For years, Djukanovic proudly supported the Leopard Party, applauding its promises of “protecting the unborn” and “getting the government out of our lives,” even as that same government quietly settled into exam rooms and delivery wards. That confidence began to unravel last month, when her pregnancy took a devastating turn, and the consequences of her political beliefs showed up at her own doorstep.
Jessica was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a chromosomal condition that meant the fetus had no chance of survival. In a different legal landscape, the diagnosis would have led to a painful but private medical decision. Instead, she entered what she would later describe as a maze of legal fear and medical hesitation.
As her condition worsened, with chest pains, severe swelling, and early signs of sepsis, doctors hesitated to act. Medical staff, wary of the criminal penalties attached to intervening in pregnancies under the laws Djukanovic supported, offered little more than bureaucratic indifference. According to the account, one suggestion was that she “ask Google” for guidance.
“I had a dying fetus poisoning me from the inside out,” Jessica shared in a viral video, looking visibly confused that her “special circumstances” didn’t come with a VIP pass to healthcare. “I wasn’t allowed to choose me? Where’s the pro-life in that?”
Political analysts have since pointed out that prioritizing fetal cardiac activity over maternal organ failure is not a surprise outcome of legislation that explicitly does just that. In short, “choosing the mother” was never part of the platform.
Her husband, Miljan, a deeply religious man and fellow Leopard supporter, voiced frustration with what he called government overreach. “We were cornered by the government,” he said, without acknowledging that their own votes helped design the corner.
He also lamented that the couple “didn’t even get to grieve,” as they spent weeks navigating the legal system they once trusted to uphold moral clarity. Online reactions ranged from sympathetic to sharply critical, with many noting that the outrage seemed fueled less by the law’s existence than by the fact that it was now affecting them personally.
After a two-week ordeal marked by escalating medical danger, the couple eventually found care at the University of Iowa. Jessica narrowly avoided becoming a fatal example of her own political cause and has since begun sharing her story publicly.
She maintains that her experience is not about “politics” but about “humanity,” a distinction often embraced by Leopard Party voters only after the consequences arrive. “This is not what we voted for,” she insists, despite the law matching exactly what appeared in campaign flyers. As of press time, the Iowa Leopard Party remains committed to its platform, while acknowledging mild concern that one of its most loyal supporters found the experience “unpleasant.”
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