Jess Djukanovic is a conservative Christian, a wrestling coach, a mom of four and now, someone who nearly lost her life because of Iowa’s abortion laws.

Just a few weeks ago, Jess and her husband Miljan learned they were expecting a baby girl. But at around 10 weeks, doctors discovered the fetus had a severe chromosomal abnormality, Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, a condition “incompatible with life.” Multiple doctors confirmed there was no chance of survival.

But what followed wasn’t compassionate care. It was confusion, fear, and silence.

“I almost died because I was denied medical care here in Iowa after being diagnosed with a fatal fetus,” Jess shared in a video post. “My baby wasn’t going to make it. There was no chance. And my health started to rapidly decline.”

Despite her worsening symptoms, chest pain, swelling, fatigue, kidney issues, she was turned away by providers at multiple Iowa facilities. One told her to wait it out. Another suggested she look online for help.

“I was told to miscarry at home or just wait. No one would tell me where I could go to get help. They said, ‘Sorry, our hands are tied.’”

Jess knew she needed care urgently. But she had to fight for it.

A system that made them choose between life and law

Her husband Miljan, an immigrant from Serbia and a deeply religious man, stood by her side through every visit, phone call, and ER wait.

“We didn’t even get to grieve our baby,” he said. “We had to fight for Jess’s life. We were cornered by the medical system and cornered by the government.”

Eventually, Jess reached Broadlawns ER, where staff helped her coordinate with a provider at the University of Iowa. That’s where she was finally treated, over two weeks after learning the fetus was not viable.

“It’s a hell of a thing to be scared for your life and not know where to go where you’ll actually be treated,” Jess said. “I had a dying fetus poisoning me from the inside out. And I wasn’t allowed to choose me?”

Once treatment was finally given, her symptoms subsided almost immediately.

“I woke up feeling like myself again. I didn’t realize how sick I was until I was no longer carrying a fetus that was making me ill.”

“Where’s the pro-life in that?”

Jess and Miljan both consider themselves pro-life, but now, they’re questioning what that means in practice.

“Are you really pro-life if you don’t care about the mother’s life too?” Jess asks. “Doctors shouldn’t be afraid to do their job, but in Iowa, they are. This isn’t what we voted for.”

Miljan echoed the same sentiment:

“Our baby wasn’t going to survive. And still, doctors were scared to treat her, even though her life was in danger. We are religious, we are healthy, we are parents. This shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

“This isn’t about politics. It’s about humanity.”

Jess is now speaking out through a video series where she breaks down her experience step by step, what she was told, where she went, and how she finally got care. She hopes that sharing what happened to her might prevent other women and families from going through the same thing.

“It’s 2025 in America, and I matter less than a dying fetus. That’s the grave truth of politics interfering with medicine. And I will not stay quiet about it.”

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Watch Jess's story.

Watch Miljan's story.