Dear John,
In August of 2022, my family and I had a life-altering experience that brought into sharp focus the barriers and injustices that exist within our healthcare system.
When I was 10 weeks pregnant, I received devastating news: Our baby was diagnosed with acrania, a rare and fatal condition in which the skull and brain do not develop properly. We were heartbroken to learn my pregnancy was nonviable. But as a mother, I had to do what was best for me and my family, and we made the difficult choice to terminate the pregnancy.
We went to a local abortion clinic here in Baton Rouge, only to find it closed down for good. Then I was refused an abortion at the Woman’s Hospital due to Louisiana abortion laws. Despite the urgent need for medical intervention, I was denied access to abortion care because they were clearly scared of prosecution, being fined, or losing their licenses. We were hurt, devastated, and felt like they had left us to fend for ourselves in a very hostile environment.
A couple of days later, I contacted local media outlets, and my story quickly went viral, helping my fiancé and I get the resources and care I needed and deserved. We left our family and kids behind and navigated 1,400 miles to New York to access abortion care.
Laws banning abortion don’t stop it; they just make it more dangerous. You may not fully understand the impact until you are facing a life-threatening pregnancy complication or a devastating fetal diagnosis. Until you are forced to tussle with the possibility of losing your own life or the life of a loved one.
My experience galvanized my commitment to reproductive justice and to ensuring that no individual is ever denied access to the care they need and deserve. I am sharing my story so that more people and policy makers understand the real consequences of their decisions.
Women’s lives are on the line in the 2024 elections, as anti-choice extremists ramp up their push to outlaw abortion, birth control, in vitro fertilization, and gender affirming care nationwide. The work that NOW does is very important, please join me in donating to help continue their grassroots efforts to help women save democracy.
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