Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Karen Pratte

To the Editor:

Our rights and freedoms are on the line. Most Iowans believe in the dignity of all people, which has long been protected as fundamental rights and freedoms. At the heart of this issue is the dignity of women - the freedom to decide when and if to have a family, and the right to make the best medical decisions for themselves and those they love.

Dignity does not mean attacking women’s freedom or stripping away their rights. Yet, that’s exactly what Governor Kim Reynolds and her legislators have done. By passing a six-week abortion ban, they’ve taken away a woman’s right to make her own decisions, placing politicians in our bedrooms and exam rooms. This law denies women privacy, the right to choose, and access to essential reproductive healthcare, completely disregarding their unique, personal situations.

Banning abortion is not about dignity - it’s about controlling women. True dignity means trusting women to make their own choices. We deserve leaders who will restore our reproductive freedom and who genuinely believe in the rights and freedoms of every individual to make their own decisions.

Karen Pratte
Waterville