This commentary is by Dr. Lauren MacAfee, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Vermont, with over 10 years of training and clinical practice in contraception, miscarriage management and abortion.
I am a longtime supporter of the Reproductive Liberty Amendment (Prop 5), a proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution that would protect every Vermonter’s right to make their own reproductive decisions.
Lately I’ve been sad to see commentaries by opponents of the Reproductive Liberty Amendment that contain false and misleading information about what the amendment does and does not do. The most absurd of these claims is that the amendment will somehow allow “abortion up until birth.”
The term “abortion up until birth” is a political term, not a medical term. There is no such thing as an abortion up until birth, and it is irresponsible to imply otherwise.
These words have been weaponized by anti-abortion activists to spread misinformation and control people’s bodies.
Health care providers practice medicine under the guidance of both ethical principles and practice regulations at the individual, clinic, hospital, state and federal level. There currently are no state restrictions on the practice of abortion in Vermont and, simply put, the Reproductive Liberty Amendment will not change how medicine is practiced in Vermont.
What it will do is ensure that individual patients, not politicians, will have the freedom to make their own reproductive health care decisions.
As a physician, I see that every person and every pregnancy is different. We need to acknowledge the complexities of medical decisions, and listen to and respect patients’ and families’ decisions. When someone has made the decision to have an abortion, they should be able to get one as soon as they decide, without facing restrictions that force them to delay care.
I provide comprehensive reproductive health care, including wellness visits, routine obstetric care, contraception and abortion care in Vermont. I trust my patients to decide if and when they would like to parent, and I use my knowledge and skills to help them achieve their individual goals.
These discussions are intimate and private and should be left to the patient and provider, free from government interference.
If the Reproductive Liberty Amendment is passed, my patients in Vermont will never have to bear the burdens that people in other states like Texas are forced to endure now to access safe, legal health care.
Unnecessary government restrictions can impede access and worsen health care disparities and inequities. We need to protect and support people’s right to access all reproductive health care options. We all win if patients and their families have the right to plan their pregnancies, their education, their vocation, and contribute to society however they see fit.
The Reproductive Liberty Amendment will allow providers to continue to deliver exceptional care to their patients and allow us to best serve the people of Vermont. Do not be distracted by the false claims by those who oppose reproductive rights.
