Our reproductive freedom is on the ballot | Lois Frankel

Two years ago, women across our country lost a freedom for which our grandmothers fought hard. Donald Trump’s Supreme Court — through the Dobbs decision — overturned Roe v. Wade, giving state politicians the legal right to ban or restrict access to abortion. In other words, a woman’s personal health care decision of when or whether to start or grow a family is now dictated by the state government.

Alarmingly, since Dobbs, 21 states have banned or unreasonably restricted access to abortion, with Florida prohibiting abortion after six weeks — before most women even know they are pregnant. The penalties include prison time and loss of licenses for medical professionals who provide care.

There’s a cost to this cruelty. Take the ordeal of Anya Cook. As widely reported, Anya’s water broke too early in her pregnancy, and there was no chance of survival for her fetus. Because of Florida’s six-week abortion ban, not medical reasons, doctors refused to provide Anya with the care she needed. Instead, she was forced to deliver her dead fetus alone in a bathroom at work, where she nearly died from the blood loss. Sadly, Anya is one of too many heartbreaking stories playing out across the country.

In the two years since the Dobbs decision, the South has become a desert for reproductive care. Women living in Florida now have to travel hundreds of miles to access legal abortion, assuming they can afford the time and cost and find an appointment.

Moreover, nearly one-third of all Florida counties are already without an OB/GYN, and finding maternal care of any kind will only become harder. Resident doctors will not be able to train properly and will avoid practicing here. Physicians, now threatened with legal jeopardy for treating patients, will leave the state.

Sadly, lack of care is not the only repercussion. Women are nearly three times as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth in states with abortion bans than in those with full access.

Here’s the thing: Abortion is a medical decision. Politicians should not be interfering in personal medical decisions between patients and their doctors. Doctors and nurses should not be forced to risk prosecution for treating their patients.

We do not walk in other people’s shoes, and there are so many reasons why someone may make the deeply personal decision to have an abortion. On this issue, the government should stay out of our doctors’ offices and exam rooms.

So, demand that your elected officials, at all levels, respect reproductive freedom. In November, elect a president, members of Congress, and state officials who will protect this right. And vote for Florida Amendment 4, which would safeguard reproductive freedom statewide by creating an amendment in the Florida Constitution that would block any laws that prohibit, delay or restrict abortion access.

We must put personal medical decisions back in the hands of Florida’s patients and their doctors. If we want to protect reproductive freedom, it’ll be at the ballot box.

Lois Frankel is a congresswoman and formerly a civic leader, state legislator and mayor of West Palm Beach, where she currently resides.