James,

Yesterday, ProPublica told the story of a woman in Georgia who died in a hospital after being denied a routine procedure outlawed by Georgia’s abortion ban until it was too late. She was 28 and healthy. She had a six year old child.

She didn’t die because her condition couldn’t be treated. She didn’t die because she wasn’t able to reach a hospital.

She died because her doctors, who were told they could face up to a decade in prison if they violated Georgia law and were prosecuted, didn’t operate for twenty hours after she arrived at the hospital. She died because politicians tied doctors’ hands with an abortion ban.

Her story could have happened anywhere with restrictions on reproductive care. When Wisconsin had an abortion ban in place after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, there was little guidance on what care we were allowed to give our patients. Patients were forced to leave the state to seek care.

The grim reality is that in emergency situations, that simply isn’t always an option. I’ve seen situations like this, and I know what can happen. Republicans who push these bans claim that so-called exceptions for the life of the pregnant person would stop situations like this from happening. But when medical professionals are trying to save a patient, they should never be debating how long to wait to provide care in order to ensure they aren’t running afoul of cruel, inhumane laws restricting reproductive care.

I’m running for office because politicians have no place dictating what care I, or any other doctors, can provide my patients. I’m asking for your support for my campaign today because we must pass federal protections ensuring that health care decisions are made by patients and experts, not anti-choice political extremists.

I hope you’ll stand with me. We have to get this done.

Thank you,

Kristin Lyerly

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