My name is Eva, and I want to tell you my story.

When my husband and I found out I was pregnant, we were so excited. We picked out a name, scheduled doctor’s appointments, and started telling our close friends and family. But over the course of several ultrasounds, doctors saw my pregnancy was not progressing as it should. Two weeks ago, my doctor told me, kindly but firmly, that my pregnancy would end in miscarriage.

I’m a nurse. I knew that pregnancy at any stage carries more risk than abortion. I knew it was the safest choice for me medically, so I booked the soonest appointment I could get at the abortion clinic. As I mourned the loss of my pregnancy, protestors flashed signs at me with words like “your baby has a name” and yelled at me to come to Jesus.

Abortions are health care. I’m running for office because we need strong pro-choice voices in the State Senate to preserve our reproductive rights when the federal government fails us. Split a donation today to send me to the Arizona Senate and to help the DLCC to elect pro-choice state Democrats across the country →

A few days later, I started experiencing a lot of pain followed by heavy bleeding. We rushed to the hospital where, though it seemed physically impossible, the ultrasound showed that I was still pregnant. The heartbeat was gone. Sad, scared, and relieved – at least now I could be done with this endless, terrifying experience.

But that’s not what happened. I was told they could not operate on me unless I was bleeding to death. I was afraid to leave the hospital. Afraid to start bleeding again. Afraid to die. My abortion was scheduled for the next day, and all I could do was hope that things would not get worse until then.

Luckily, they didn’t. I went to the abortion clinic where nobody denied me care. Nobody told me to “come back when you’re dying.” Nobody told me to “stay pregnant with your loved embryo.” That day, I finally got the medical care I needed.

I never wanted this to happen, but it had to. We need to protect abortion access in Arizona for the safety and health of our residents. Any amount you can contribute today will be split to help my campaign for Senate and help to elect state Democrats into office who will fight for our reproductive rights.

There are people out there who will say that my situation is different – that my abortion was okay. You need to know that my situation was exactly the same as every other patient that walks through those clinic doors. We should not have to explain our reasons to you, to your religion, or to the federal government.

I am not my abortion. I'm a wife, mom, nurse, environmentalist, humanitarian, activist, and lover of life. My name is Eva Burch. I will tell my story so that maybe someone else won’t have to.

Thank you,

Eva Burch
Candidate for Arizona State Senate, District 9