As a Washington abortion provider, I appreciate Sid Schwab’s honesty regarding recent Supreme Court appointments on their conditional promise to overturn Roe, discussions of sex education and access to contraception, and that 80 percent of Americans do not believe in banning all abortion (“If abortion is religious issue, what’s it mean for law,” The Herald, Dec. 10). However, I would like to address the “non-controversial statement” about later abortion being “disturbing and exceedingly rare.”
“Late-term abortion” is disinformation and incorrect terminology. Late-term means after 41-weeks. To be clear, no one has abortions after 41-weeks. This politicized, inaccurate, made-up term was created by anti-abortion extremists to invoke stigma against abortion patients and providers.
Nine percent of abortions happen after the first trimester; this is not exceedingly rare. I provide abortions in the second trimester. I promise you, these are acts of love by pregnant people affirming their path forward. Maybe it’s a highly desired pregnancy with abnormalities not compatible with life. Maybe it’s a young person who didn’t know they were pregnant until 18 weeks. Maybe it doesn’t matter the reason, because they’re building their goals, dreams and future. Having abortions saves lives.
When the majority of people who get abortions are low-income people and people of color, it’s clear that objections to abortion and reproductive justice are not rooted in religion, but instead in capitalism and white supremacy. When we relentlessly pass laws suppressing autonomy, it’s not because of religion, it’s because white, male, upper class lawmakers want to stay in power by oppressing Black and brown people.
Dr. Sheila Attaie
Reproductive Health and Advocacy Fellow
University of Washington Family Medicine
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