Arizonans Need the Hobbs Administration To Keep the Foot on the Gas for Reproductive Freedom

OPINION: Upholding this campaign promise is literally a matter of life or death. 

It’s been 30 years since I had my first medical abortion. 

It was an ectopic pregnancy that required immediate termination to avoid serious complications. That same year, I had another ectopic pregnancy, but it was caught late, and if I hadn’t had the emergency surgery that stopped the internal bleeding, I would have lost my life. 

At the time, I didn’t think of it as a political issue—it was just medical care —and I didn’t have to, because it was a constitutional right for women nationwide. 

RELATED: A Pre-Statehood Abortion Law Could Have Been Enforced Today. Arizona Voters Kept That From Happening. 

Now that Katie Hobbs has been elected as Arizona’s governor, I’m ready to breathe a sigh of relief. As recently as last month, Hobbs promised that she would continue to work on getting rid of Arizona’s pre-statehood abortion ban. This is an enormous and overdue step toward true gender equality and will save countless lives. 

While many in the “pro-life” camp argue that banning abortions is the only way to protect life, in cases like mine, denying access to abortion is not pro-life. A woman may need to be headed toward death before a doctor receives approval to save their life—and in some cases, even that may not be enough.

RELATED: Abortion Medication May Be Accessible in Some States, but Not in Arizona — For Now

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the efforts to reinstate our pre-statehood abortion ban, Arizona women have faced an uncertain future. Now, with the legislative session in full swing, I am grateful that Gov. Hobbs believes that it’s “important for Arizonans to get rid of the chaos that would come if that law goes into effect and make sure there’s some certainty where reproductive rights are concerned.” 

Government should not be involved in private healthcare decisions. It’s my body, it’s my loss, and there’s no need for the added trauma of begging for my life because lawmakers have decided that women aren’t entitled to the same rights and freedom as men.

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