Alisha Alderson placed everything she needed for the last month of her pregnancy in various suitcases as she prepared to leave the comfort of her home in rural eastern Oregon. The only maternity ward within 40 miles abruptly closed in August, so she would be staying at her brother’s house in Idaho to be closer to a hospital.
“I was sitting in a hair salon a few days ago and some people started joking about me giving birth on the side of the road," the 45-year-old said. "And in that moment, I just pictured all the things that could go wrong with my baby and broke down in tears in front of strangers.”
