Dear Editor,
Arizonans deserve to know the truth: miscarriage care is now and will remain available for women, regardless of what happens with Prop 139. I know first-hand. Last year, my husband and I found out I was pregnant.
During my second prenatal check, my midwife was using the doppler to find the heartbeat– all routine. But it was taking too long, she was struggling to find any sign of life. She was going over and over my belly, assuring me that the positioning of the baby could make it hard to find, so she got me in for an ultrasound quickly to check everything.
I remained optimistic as I waited.
My optimism faded as soon as I looked at the ultrasound. There was no more movement. No more heartbeat. The ultrasound showed our little one had stopped developing about a week earlier at 11 weeks.
Overcome with shock, I was ushered back into the doctor’s office to now discuss miscarriage management. It was devastating, I went from joy and anticipation to grief and uncertainty. Because of how far along I was, the midwife recommended I have a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure due to risk of infection. But she gave me the option to wait and see if the miscarriage would resolve on its own, as most do.
I opted for the D&C at the recommendation of my midwife and doctor. But it was not an easy decision.
I was concerned how receiving a D&C would be perceived – that’s used for abortion procedures, I thought. Not only this, but being that my husband and I don’t use traditional insurance– we used a Christian cost sharing– would they assist covering it? Would they understand? Or would they see D&C and not cover it because it is associated with abortion? I called to verify prior to making my decision. Thankfully, the Christian cost sharing completely understood that I was going through a miscarriage, not an elective abortion– they assisted in covering it along with offering prayer for my family.
The hospital where my surgery was performed treated me with the utmost care and empathy. I recall watching informative videos prior to my procedure that explicitly stated that I was not undergoing an induced abortion, but the removal of a fetus that was no longer living. I learned also that Arizona law specifically states that miscarriage management is not an abortion.
Still, I had to be sure it was even necessary. Before the D&C, the ultrasound technician performed another ultrasound at my request– just to be sure that our little one had indeed passed away.
After confirmation and the procedure, hospital staff gave me a small keepsake box with a little quilt, a tiny teddy bear, and a poem in remembrance of my loss.
After my experience, I watched on social media and in the news a consistent flow of misinformation. It infuriates me that the pro-abortion movement claims that without Prop 139, an extreme abortion amendment, women like me will not get necessary treatment. They are misusing painful stories from women to create a false narrative, scaring women into thinking they will be left helpless if they miscarry. It’s not true.
If they are lying about this, what more are they lying about?
Women DO deserve comprehensive and safe medical treatment – and we already have it. Prop 139 is about induced abortion, not miscarriage treatment. The difference is clear to the doctor who treated me, and it is clear in Arizona law.
Women deserve truth, not propaganda.
Please vote No on Prop 139. Arizona women do not need to enshrine unlimited abortion into the state Constitution in order to get the care we need.
Lydia Vest
