I am the mother of five children. I have suffered from infertility and sought medical care for pregnancy-related complications. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which strongly supports childbearing as a positive choice in society, having and raising children has been my privilege and honor. Like many mothers, I’ve used nearly every kind of contraception at various times (to delay pregnancy when we were not ready and to help with other health issues).
I have also suffered three miscarriages. I hemorrhaged after one of my miscarriages and had to have a quick, life-saving dilation and curettage while staying in the hospital. I have sisters and friends who wanted more children but had to use medical measures—considered contraceptives—to stop endless, painful, and heavy bleeding to the point of causing fainting.
As a lifelong Republican, I am profoundly disappointed and distressed by the attempts of right-wing politicians to take away our right to contraception at the federal and state levels.
The ability to choose whether and when to have children is an essential component of personal freedom, and it reinforces the power of every individual to make informed decisions about their family planning.
The ability to choose whether and when to have children is an essential component of personal freedom.
I was utterly flummoxed last summer when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas advocated for revoking the 1965 ruling that prevents the federal government from restricting access to contraception for married couples. Soon after, Representative Mark Amodei, who represents me in Nevada, joined 194 other House Republicans in opposing contraception rights.
If that weren’t bad enough, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo recently vetoed “The Right To Contraception Act,” which passed through the state legislature with bipartisan support and a super-majority.
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis blocked bipartisan funding championed by the pro-life Republican president of the state Senate, Wilton Simpson, to ensure access to contraception for low-income families. In Virginia, legislators introduced bills that could ban certain forms of birth control, including IUDs. Ohio, Louisiana and Tennessee are just a few of the states where advocates fear similar measures being adopted.
I am confused and disappointed by the changes in the Republican Party over the past several years. The GOP I used to know stood for freedom of religion, freedom of business from over-regulation and freedom of the individual. The disconnect between the extreme right and the electorate is staggering on the issue of contraception. The far right can’t seem to understand or accept the fundamental truth that virtually every American will use contraception at some point in their lives.
Reproductive health care is often a life-and-death matter requiring quick decisions by medical professionals, patients and their families. To involve the government in regulating this type of care will only slow down these decisions and cause an increase in maternal and fetal deaths.
Yet if some of today’s Republican Party leaders have their way, families will lose the freedom to easily plan when to have children—making them more likely to struggle with the costs and sacrifices involved in childcare. More pregnancies would occur closer together, reducing resources needed for all the children in the family and increasing poverty and reliance on welfare. More families would end up seeking abortions or losing their children to foster care because of their inability to provide adequate care.
These are not pro-child or pro-family outcomes. They do not save taxpayers money. Over-regulating medical businesses and giving control over necessary health care to the government should not be a governor’s goal nor the goal of the Republican party.
As a woman and mother, I implore our elected officials, especially those within the Republican Party, to align their stance on contraception with the will of the people.
Every American deserves the freedom to use contraception when needed and the assurance that the government will never take that right away. Women, mothers, and families, with the help of their doctors, should make these decisions, not politicians.
This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, a project of The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.