Fight for freedom to make health care decisions in Iowa

I was a 20-year-old college student in Texas when I found out I was pregnant. I wasn’t in the healthiest relationship. We had been together about a year. His reaction to the news was asking me how soon I could get alcohol, thinking it would induce a miscarriage. Then he asked if I would be willing to use a wire coat hanger.

For me, I knew abortion was the right decision even though it was difficult. I was hundreds of miles away from my family in Nebraska. The college I went to was religious and people didn’t talk about abortion. They didn’t want to be shamed or outcast. I felt the same way. I found myself extremely lonely, isolated and scared.

But I was able to access abortion care at a local Planned Parenthood and make my own health care decisions. I finished college, moved to Iowa and became an engineer. Having been through that I never want anyone to experience that feeling of loneliness. That’s why I am sharing my story.

Abortion is health care, and we should be able to talk about it openly without fear or the risk of judgment or repercussions. It should be legal and accessible and not just for the people who have the means to travel across state lines to receive abortion care.

But that’s not the world we are living in. Instead, Iowans are severely limited in their access to abortion care because of the near total abortion ban passed by the Legislature last year. It outlaws abortion as early as six weeks, before most people know they are pregnant.

These politicians have gone too far. And I’m mad as hell and ready to fight. I want Iowans to know they are not alone and there are resources available to help them navigate this uncertain, confusing landscape.

I went through a situation where I was able to find a safe way out. The person I was with at the time stuck around long enough to make sure I had the abortion. Although he didn’t want to pay for it. His solution was trying to force me to take home remedies he had concocted to induce a self-managed abortion.

I ended up finding support from my family, who traveled to Texas, found me the care I needed at Planned Parenthood and supported me throughout the process. I was lucky.

That’s why I will never stop advocating for our freedom to make personal health care decisions. If I can be a voice for others, I am going to stand up and be that voice. That’s what we need in this moment.

We have to talk to our neighbors, family and friends to let them know what’s at stake this election. This election is pivotal in the fight to hold politicians accountable and restore the fundamental freedom to access essential, life-saving health care. And we do this by voting for reproductive health care champions at the ballot box this November.

Iowans want to live in a state where we have the freedom to make our own decisions and shape our own lives. Every Iowa family deserves access to the health care and other resources we need to thrive. And that’s what this election is about.

Rachel Dlouhy lives in Marion.