An Arizona lawmaker announced Monday on the state Senate floor that she plans to have an abortion after learning that her pregnancy is not viable, per the AP. State Sen. Eva Burch, a registered nurse known for her reproductive rights activism, was surrounded by fellow Democratic senators as she made the announcement, reports the Arizona Republic. "I don't think people should have to justify their abortions," Burch said. "But I'm choosing to talk about why I made this decision because I want us to be able to have meaningful conversations about the reality of how the work that we do in this body impacts people in the real world."
The mother of two children said she has had "a rough journey" with fertility. She experienced her first miscarriage 13 years ago and terminated a nonviable pregnancy as she campaigned for her state Senate seat two years ago. Now, Burch said she has made an appointment to terminate her current pregnancy after learning it was not viable. She added that state laws have "interfered" with her decision. One required an "invasive" transvaginal ultrasound that her doctor didn't order, and she was then read "factually false" information about alternatives that was required by law, she said.
"I'm a perfect example of why this relationship should be between patients and providers," not state lawmakers, Burch said. "My experiences in this space both as a provider and as a patient have led me to believe that this legislature has failed the people of Arizona." A signature drive is underway as part of a campaign to add a constitutional right to abortion in Arizona. Under the proposal, the state would not be able to ban abortion until the fetus is viable, which is around 28 weeks, with later abortions allowed to protect a woman's physical or mental health. Supporters must gather nearly 384,000 valid signatures by July 4. Current law bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
(More
abortion debate stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
