Imagine for a moment you're a doctor. An obstetrician to be exact. Someone who thrives at helping keep pregnant mothers healthy and helps them bring healthy babies into the world.
But one of your patients has complications. Could be hereditary issues; could be their home or work environment; could be their family situation. Something well outside your control causes your patient to lose the pregnancy.
Now imagine internalizing the fact that sometimes doctors lose patients, that sometimes one can do everything right but still fail to protect the patient. Imagine being relieved that the mother is alive and physically unharmed, only to find out your license to practice suspended pending review of your murder charge.
This is the reality forced birth laws often inflict in their efforts to control women's bodies. They criminalize doctors who do their best for the health of their patients. For this and many other reasons, I am writing a letter every day to end forced birth by writing reproductive freedom into law.
