Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected]
If you or someone you know needs resources or support related to sexual violence, contact the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s 24/7 hotline at 800-871-7741.
The decisions a woman makes concerning her body should never be in the hands of someone else, period. The reasons why a woman may get an abortion can vary in many ways. Statistically, “one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime,” according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. That is approximately 17 percent of our population. The accessibility of abortion for these women is entirely dependent on which state they live in. I think this reality is both unjust and repugnant.
One of the most common forms of abortion today is medication, but recently U.S. District Court Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk suspended approval of mifepristone, a widely used drug taken as part of a medical abortion. This raises the question: What is the logic behind such restrictions?
Kacsmaryk argues that this decision was made in response to the “many deaths and many more severe or life-threatening adverse reactions.”
However, mifepristone has proved to be a safe and effective drug when taken with misoprostol. A law professor describes Kacsmaryk as “a judge who has … no scientific expertise, overruling the agency that has a ton of scientific expertise.” The reality behind Kacsmaryk’s notion goes to show that these restrictions are rather illogical.
This development not only places an excessive burden on women seeking abortions but bespeaks the ongoing issue of autonomy and health care access. It’s time to push for justice and change. Abortion should be legal no matter what border you stand behind.
Elizabete Cahn
Lamoine
