Hi! Local political leader here. I don’t think a woman’s decision whether to end her pregnancy should involve me.
Why not?
I don’t know her health history, her current medical condition, the state of her mental health, her mental and physical health risks, her age, the fetus’s current medical condition, whether the pregnancy was wanted or unwanted, whether she was raped or coerced or the birth control failed or she thought she couldn’t get pregnant or the situation changed after the pregnancy started, who the father is, the status of her relationship with the father, the state of the father’s mental and physical health, whether she is experiencing or at risk for domestic violence, what support she does or does not have from family and friends, what healthcare and family medical leave she has access to, whether she has other children, how old those children are, what needs those children have, whether other family members need her care, her religious beliefs, whether he is transitioning and a pregnancy isn’t right for his body right now, the state of her finances, the state of the father’s finances, her housing situation, her current employment status, her employment history, whether she is still in school or on her way back, the father’s employment status and history, how family-friendly her employer is, her ambitions, her hopes, or her dreams.
You know who does know all of these things? The woman. Trust her to make the decision. Keep local political leaders out of it.
Nora Niedzielski-Eichner is a member of the Norwalk Common Council.