Protect Women's health and rights

To the Editor,

For decades, Republican politicians have promised to eliminate a woman’s right to an abortion. When a Republican-appointed Supreme Court majority overturned Roe v Wade, states with Republican majorities were quick to enact medically dangerous abortion bans. Republican politicians have empowered the government to take away our personal freedoms. This irresponsible political action has already proven harmful to women and infants. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, infant mortality increased 13% after Texas enacted its abortion ban. In their quest to control our reproductive organs, the Republican party accepts the deaths of women and infants as collateral damage. Eradication of our rights could happen here in Washington State. In 2022, all three of the 16thLD Republican legislators, Dozier, Klicker, and Rude, voted against preserving a pregnant individual’s ability to access abortion care. Look up HB1851. The freedom to determine our own healthcare is not safe in the hands of Republican politicians. Even ones as seemingly charming and benign as our current Republican representatives vote with the extremists in their party. The strongest defense against a total abortion ban in the United States is Democratic state legislators. If you truly believe in freedom, vote for the Democratic candidates.

Linda Gunshefski, MD

Walla Walla, Wash.