Opinion: The fight for reproductive freedom is also a fight to be free from abuse

Abortion care allows women to be more in control over their future, including when and whether to start a family once they’re in a safer space.  

When I was 18, I found myself in a nightmare I never thought would happen to me. I was trapped in an abusive relationship, far from my family or any support network. Through work, I met a man twice my age. The relationship started out great but quickly turned into something that was not only unhealthy but dangerous. 

I was terrified when I became pregnant. It was clear my situation was unsustainable, but I didn’t know what to do. I feared – I knew – this situation would only get worse. Abortion care was the only way I could escape and prevent myself from getting hurt even more. 

I was living in Ohio at the time, and abortion was increasingly difficult to access. But the ability to make my own decision about my own body was a lifeline. Receiving an abortion was the only way out of an abusive relationship and allowed me to regain control over my future – ultimately saving my life. 

My abortion allowed me to choose when I would have children – when I was ready. It gave me the opportunity to build a stable life, to settle down, and ultimately to become the mother I am today. Without that choice, I might never have had the chance to create the life I have now – a stable, loving family and a community that I love. 

I later watched in horror as conservative states like Texas started passing 6-week abortion bans. And my worst fear became reality when Donald Trump’s handpicked Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and states like Wisconsin immediately started banning abortion. 

The choice that I made all those years ago was no longer an option for millions of women around the country. I started speaking up. I became a reproductive rights advocate – sharing my story, raising money to support women who needed to cross state lines, and organizing across Northeast Wisconsin to protect reproductive freedom. 

My story is similar to many around the country, and why it is imperative that we elect Vice President Kamala Harris this November. Vice President Harris has been a champion for women and has fought to strengthen our reproductive freedoms her entire career. She made history as the first Vice President to visit a reproductive healthcare clinic and has traveled the country mobilizing thousands of women to stand up for their freedoms. And as president, she would sign into law a bill restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

This is in stark contrast to Donald Trump, JD Vance, and their extreme anti-choice allies. Not only do they want to ban abortion nationwide, they also want to restrict access to contraception and IVF. Vance has even suggested that women should stay in violent marriages. And we can never forget that Trump has called for “punishment” for women who have an abortion and said that doctors and nurses who provide care should be “held legally responsible.” 

Trump and Vance know their abortion stance is extremely unpopular, which is why they are trying to lie and hide their positions. But the bottom line is that Donald Trump owns the state of abortion rights in our country today. He is proud of it, and he will only make it worse. We cannot afford to go back to Trump’s anti-choice vision for America. 

Our fight today is not just about preserving access to abortion. It’s about protecting the fundamental right to choose, the right to make decisions that align with our personal circumstances, and the right to live free from threats or danger. 

Thousands of women have relied on abortion care to live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives. Each of us has the right to make decisions about our bodies and our lives. Our shared responsibility is to ensure that every woman, regardless of circumstance, can make her own health care decisions. 

Reproductive freedom is not a privilege – it’s a fundamental right. This year, I will be working every day to elect Vice President Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot in Wisconsin. Our votes are powerful, and together, we can ensure that every woman has the opportunity to control her own body.

Related: Kamala Harris has spent years fighting for reproductive freedom. Here’s what to know.