On August 20th, 2021 Haley Richardson, a wife, expectant mother and medical professional died from complications of Covid-19 – two days after the death of her unborn daughter. Her daughter was due in November. She had elected not to be vaccinated because she was uncertain as to what effects the shot might have on her baby. She leaves behind a husband and two year-old daughter. I didn’t know Haley. Never heard of her until her death was reported in the news. But the circumstances surrounding her passing struck a nerve with me. Haley and her daughter could be alive right now.

Recent data indicates that pregnant women pass along Covid-19 antibodies to their child. A recent study (published March 2021) shows that with vaccinated women, antibodies are present in umbilical blood and breast milk. Tests have also shown that the mother’s vaccine does not harm an unborn child. Perhaps Haley wasn’t aware of the data at the time. Or perhaps she didn’t trust the data. Either way, it’s likely that had she been vaccinated a few months prior she and her baby would be alive today. She was a nurse. She had access to current information and was doubtlessly aware of the suffering and death that Covid-19 can cause. Why did she decide against the vaccine?

In her own words (emphasis mine)…

“Here in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning, it is so easy to pretend that all of this was just a nightmare or that I’m just here in this hospital bed due to my own issues with Covid, [and] not for anything being wrong with my sweet baby girl whom I thought I was protecting in my own womb. I know the prognosis and I know the reality, and while part of me may start to acknowledge this, the other part of me still believes God is still the God of miracles and is in control above all else. I hope and pray for miracles, but having said that I am also praying for his will to be done. If there has ever been a time to ask for something to be taken out of my own hands and put in his, it is now.“

– – Haley Richardson on Facebook, nine days before her death

Her heart was in the right place. She wanted to protect her unborn child. But her religious faith got in the way of doing the right thing. Had she gotten the vaccine a few months prior, chances are excellent that she and her baby would still be alive. It isn’t guaranteed (nothing is), but it’s likely. In the quote above she says, “If there has ever been a time to ask for something to be taken out of my own hands and put in his [God], it is now.” That is terribly wrong. The Abrahamic religions teach people that their god can do absolutely anything. He can supposedly move mountains, turn water to wine (why not bourbon?), and wipe out the world’s population if we piss Him off. But He couldn’t save Haley and her daughter? Or perhaps He just chose not to? Perhaps He, in His infinite wisdom and compassion just let her suffer and die. Praise the Lord and all that. It wasn’t a matter of God “bringing them home.” It wasn’t a matter of “God’s will.” It was nothing more than a loving, well-intentioned but sadly deluded woman who left her well-being up to a non-existent deity instead of dealing with the reality of her situation.

It saddens me to see people dying needlessly. Even when it’s a stranger like Haley. She was not after all a stranger to others. There are those who love and cherish her, and they’re hurting right now. I cannot fathom what sort of pain her husband must be feeling. And mind you I am not comparing Haley to the child killers filling the ranks of the Christian Scientists or Jehovah’s Witnesses. Haley was a caring mother who made a decision that turned out to be tragically wrong.

Unless you have a valid medical reason not to, get the damn shot. I got mine (Pfizer) and have had no problems. It just might save your life. And don’t give me that mess about religious exemptions. This is the real world. Shit happens in the real world. If you believe in talking snakes or whatever else, that’s your right. But you do not have the right to endanger others by your own irresponsible behavior.

UPDATE:
Haley’s mother commented below that Haley had also conferred with medical professionals regarding the vaccination. As such, I stand corrected. She did not rely solely on prayer.

Now y’all excuse me… I have a hurricane (Ida) to prepare for. 🙂

• Unvaccinated pregnant nurse, unborn baby die after she contracts Covid
• Unvaccinated Pregnant Nurse Who Died of COVID Wrote She Was ‘Praying’ for a Miracle in Final Post
• CDC says pregnant people need Covid vaccine as delta surges
• Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study