Editor’s note: This letter to the editor has been updated to remove an inaccurate statement. The original version stated that abortions in Minnesota were previously limited to six months, which is incorrect. Minnesota has had no gestational limits on abortion since the late 1970s. The Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act, passed in 2023, codified this longstanding practice into state law without adding new timing restrictions.
The PRO Act, authored by Carlie Kotyka-Witthuhn and signed by Gov. Walz, is no longer a matter of pro-choice or pro-life; it is a matter of if we are pro-human. In previous letters to the editor, it has been made clear that the PRO Act allows unrestricted abortions up to birth.
This is no longer an abortion. Britannica defines abortion as the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability, usually about the 20th week.
We need to look at the sanity of Carlie, Gov. Walz, and the elected leaders in our state in making this decision. In the third trimester, is it a baby? Is it viable? The answer to these questions is a resounding YES! The NIH states in a PubMed abstract that viability presently occurs at approximately 24 gestational weeks. In that case, the result is the death of a baby and mental health issues for the mother. Whose healthcare are we talking about?
This bill is not about women’s rights or healthcare. We need to look at what is ethical and sane! Let’s enlist our critical-thinking brains and make some sane, ethical and pro-human choices when we vote!
In addition, it is known that the medical, emotional, and psychological consequences of an abortion are serious and can be lasting (Lozier Institute). We have enough mental health issues in our culture; let’s not create more.
Let’s provide help, hope, and real health care for a woman.
These could include unplanned pregnancy:
1. counseling that fully explains all options and their physical and mental consequences
2. funding for medical care
3. support groups
4. adoption centers
Let’s come alongside these concerned mothers in a caring and helpful way instead of creating a new mental health crisis. Wendi Russo is a hopeful option, and she stands for these things. Let’s try a new way this election! Vote for Wendi, who is a champion for ALL children.
Lisa Casper, Eden Prairie
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