Dear Pro-Life Advocates,
I have always been told to be careful. To hold something heavy, look over my shoulder, share my location. Women grow up learning how to protect themselves, as if danger is an inevitable part of existing. But no amount of caution can prepare a woman for the moment she realizes her body is no longer her own—not because of an attacker in the dark, but because of a law written by people who will never face the consequences.
In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection for abortion rights. Since then, abortion bans have swept across the country, some so restrictive that they deny care even in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergencies. The people who support these bans say they are protecting life, but laws that leave women suffering in emergency rooms, force 13-year-old girls to give birth, and prevent doctors from providing necessary care are not protecting anything. Doctors take an oath to preserve the health of every patient, but abortion bans have left many of them afraid to provide essential care. As a result of this, exceptions are meaningless in many hospitals. A New York Times investigation found that many women who technically qualify for abortions under state law are still denied care because doctors and hospitals fear legal consequences: “Her state prohibits most abortions but allows them for rape victims. Yet she could not find a doctor to provide one” (Walker). These exemptions may exist on paper but fail in reality, leaving women stranded in medical crises while professionals hesitate to act. There is no safety in that—only risk, only harm, only a growing list of stories where women’s health has been sacrificed in the name of ideology. And yet, while women are left to suffer under these laws, the burden of responsibility remains strikingly one-sided.
Anti-choice advocates argue that life begins at conception, that abortion is murder, that restrictions are necessary. But if this is about morality, why are men exempt from the same level of accountability? Why are there no laws ensuring they bear equal responsibility for an unplanned pregnancy? When only one half of the population is forced to bear the consequences, the issue is not morality—it is control. Pregnancy should not be a political debate; it is a deeply personal, often life-altering experience. While many pregnancies bring joy and excitement, numerous others result in medical risks, financial strain, or the loss of independence and opportunity. The United States already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world, yet lawmakers have stripped away healthcare access, forcing women into situations that endanger their health and futures.
I am not asking you to agree with abortion. I am asking you to consider what it means to take that choice away. Behind every statistic is a woman in a hospital bed, a girl forced into a future she never planned, a doctor unable to act because of laws shaped by politics rather than medicine. Women should have the right to make their own medical decisions—especially when it comes to pregnancy—without political interference or fear of punishment.
Abortion bans do not stop abortion; they only stop safe abortion. And in doing so, they put real lives in danger. If protecting life is truly the goal, the solution should not be control; it should be compassion. It is trusting women to make their own medical decisions. It is making sure no one has to risk their health, their future, or their life because of someone else’s beliefs. This is not just about politics. It is about humanity. And we can do better.
Works Cited
Alter, Charlotte. “She Wasn’t Able to Get an Abortion. Now She’s a Mom. Soon She’ll Start 7th
Grade.” TIME Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023. https://time.com/6303701/a-rape-in-mississippi/.
Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
The Guardian Editorial Board. “No One Polices Men’s Bodies the Way We Police Women’s
Bodies.” The Guardian, 29 Jan. 2025.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/29/ mississippi-abortion-antiabortion-dobbs-supreme-court. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
ProPublica. “Women in Texas Are Dying After Doctors Refused to Treat Their Miscarriages.”
ProPublica, 15 June 2023. https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-law-
miscarriages. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
Walker, Amy Schoenfeld. “Most Abortion Bans Include Exceptions. In Practice, Few Are
Granted.” The New York Times, 21 Jan. 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/21/us/
abortion-ban-exceptions.html. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
