Letter to the editor: North Dakota women deserve the right to choose

I am very concerned that Rep. Bette Grande, R-Fargo, has introduced a personhood bill in our state Legislature and that she, along with others, is strongly campaigning for its passage and for passage of two other related bills. Grande was quoted in the Sun Times as believing that God gave us our freedoms, our rights. If she truly believes this, then she must also believe and respect that God gave us each our free will and the freedom and right to make choices in our lives. We make choices every day, hundreds of them. Our government protects our rights with laws. Laws that as of today, guarantee in our constitution that women have the right to choose when and if they want to bear a child.

Women make hundreds of free will decisions every day. Accordingly, Grande must also consider these as God-given freedoms too. And many women (and men) make decisions about procreation. The majority of women choose if and when they will give birth by using any of the following: a birth control method, in-vitro fertilization, scheduled C-sections, drugs to induce labor, drugs to slow labor and adoption. Some women choose not to give birth, using adoption, birth control, tubal ligation, and much less often, abortion. All of these are choices, our freedom to use our God-given free will to choose.

Only the woman carrying a developing fetus has the right to determine its future and her future. No one else has the right to step in and make that decision for that woman; not another citizen, not a doctor, not a member of any clergy, and not our state Legislature. It is a personal and private decision. No woman wants an abortion. It is a devastating choice that women have been making for thousands of years, and will continue to make.

As of today, the constitutions of North Dakota and of the United States protect this right. If a woman chooses to get an abortion it is a safe medical procedure in our state and in our country. This right is protected by laws. I hope and pray that will always be true. If this protected right it taken away, women will still have the option to choose an abortion, only it will no longer be a safe, medical procedure. Ask your legislators to vote no on Senate Concurrent Resolution 4009, Senate Bill 2302 and Senate Bill 2303.

Tags: opinion, letters, abortion