Living in the swing state of Michigan, I cannot avoid the constant stream of Democratic ads from candidates like Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate candidate, Elissa Slotkin. Most of these are about the issue that Democrats believe pulls undecided voters in their direction: abortion.
They portray Republican candidates as controlling dictators who want to take away all rights from women. Several of them claim that Republicans would rather let women die than allow them to have an abortion. One commercial features a woman from conservative West Michigan, stating that she “used to” consider herself pro-life until she “had to have an abortion” to save her life due to an ectopic pregnancy.
Not only are these ads deceptive, they are extremely painful to listen to — especially because I, too, had an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy that ruptured, and doctors had to perform an emergency surgery to save my life. But I did not have an abortion — I had a miscarriage.
My husband and I had only been aware that this tiny baby was inside of me for about one week. I then began to have sharp pains, and my doctor told me to go straight to the emergency room. At the hospital, doctors confirmed that I had an ectopic pregnancy in which the tube had ruptured, and my life was in danger. I would have to have surgery immediately to remove the baby and the ruptured tube in order to save my life.
It is extremely important for everyone — politicians, voters, and the media — to be clear that these emergency surgeries to save the life of the mother are not abortions. An abortion involves a woman who chooses to end the life of her unborn child. Women like me who have surgery to save their life from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy did not choose to end their baby’s life. The baby had already tragically died due to natural causes. My husband and I, along with our daughters and extended family, grieved the loss of this baby whom my husband and I had hoped and prayed for for over a year.
The lie that Democrats continue to tell — that abortion must be legal in order to save the life of the mother — must stop. It’s dangerous because it can cause women with ectopic pregnancies to hesitate before going to the hospital (as I did), afraid that they might be forced to have an “abortion.” It’s also dangerous because some doctors may be afraid that they will go to prison due to pro-life laws if they perform an emergency surgery on a woman with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. In fact, there is no state pro-life law that punishes doctors for treating women who’ve had a miscarriage.
Kamala, Elissa, other pro-abortion candidates, and journalists: Please stop spreading the lie that abortion must be legal to save the life of the mother. Your far-reaching deception in the name of “protecting women’s rights” is much more threatening than any pro-life law could ever be.
