‘The US maternal death rate is the highest in the developed world.’: Travel nurse urges ‘abortion is healthcare’

“In case you didn’t know, abortion is healthcare.

Pregnancy is a serious and life-altering medical condition that can lead to death, and if you are located in the US, you are at a higher risk of it leading to death.

If you are a Black woman in the US, your chance fatality is 2.9 times higher. A rate that has only increased year after year despite the drop in birth rates across the country.

We have had less and less births each year, yet our mortality rate continues to increase. Read that again.

The US maternal death rate is the highest in the developed world.

There are no laws established for paid maternity or paternity leave. Some jobs offer 12 weeks unpaid leave. Most people cannot afford to go 12 weeks without a paycheck and return sooner in order to work.

I’m not here to argue the value of a life. I’m not going to argue the morality of an abortion. I’m not interested in your views on adoption.

Your opinion, your religion, your viewpoint does not and should not dictate how others seek and have access to healthcare.

If you view abortion as immoral, you are free to never get one.

I do not need to live by your religious code of ethics. We, as a society, should not be in the practice of forcing the morals of one religion onto others and establishing laws in their name.

Abortion laws do not stop abortions. They stop safe abortions by trained, board-certified medical providers.

History has shown us this; it’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. And in a country that struggles to keep pregnant women alive who want to be pregnant, we have no business forcing those who don’t to carry to term or go to extreme measures to end their pregnancy.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by travel nurse Juliana McLaughlin of Oklahoma City, OK. You can follow her journey on Instagram. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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