The bill makes abortion illegal in the case of fetal abnormalities.1

You see, a little less than six years ago, I was newly pregnant with twins, when my doctor told me that one of the fetuses had Trisomy 18—a genetic disorder that affects nearly every organ system in the body.2 Half of babies born with the disorder die within their first week of life; the median lifespan is five to 15 days.3 There’s a high risk of miscarriage or stillbirth with Trisomy 18—which put my other twin at risk, since I could go into labor very early or face other serious complications.

After my doctor explained my options and the risks, I made an anguished but clear decision to have a “selective reduction”—an abortion of the fetus with Trisomy 18, which would have been illegal under Pence’s law—to save my baby.

About seven months later, I delivered a healthy, nearly 9 pound baby girl. My daughter is now five years old. She is strong, kind, and sings constantly.

I don’t even want to think about what might have happened to her under Mike Pence’s vision for America. And we can’t ever let that come to pass. That’s why we have to do everything we can to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.

If you think Trump and Pence can’t win, I beg you to take them seriously.

In addition to being a very proud mom, I’m a political junkie and a campaign director at MoveOn. I’ve been poring over the polls, and they are not looking good. Of the last five national polls released this week, all five were within the margin of error—meaning it’s a tight race.4

MoveOn is working to counter the spin that Pence is a cool-headed, proven leader who balances Trump’s ticket, when in reality, he makes it even more extreme. Most voters don’t yet know who Pence is, so we need to get the facts out right now.

That’s why I’m sharing my story. Up until now, only a handful of my very close family and friends knew I was ever pregnant with twins. But we just can’t stay silent or sit on the sidelines, given how much is at stake.

Pence has said, “I long for the day Roe v. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history.”5

And that’s not all. In addition to rabidly opposing abortion rights, Pence thinks that women who work cause their children to have “stunted emotional growth.”6 When he was in Congress, he sponsored the very first bill to defund Planned Parenthood—and then he continued to push for the legislation year after year.7 And Pence doesn’t think women in the military should be in combat roles.8

So it’s no surprise that Pence is the vice presidential pick of a man who once said, “Women, you have to treat them like shit.”9

For my daughter—and for girls and women everywhere—we must stop these two dangerous men from getting to the White House.

Thanks for all you do.

–Emily Figdor

Sources:

1. “ACLU, Planned Parenthood sue Indiana over new abortion law,” AP, April 8, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4745?t=17&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

2. “Trisomy 18 and 13,” Stanford Children’s Health, accessed July 20, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4746?t=19&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

3. “Trisomy 18,” Medline Plus, accessed July 19, 2016
https://act.moveon.org/go/4747?t=21&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

4. “2016 General Election: Trump vs. Clinton,” The Huffington Post, accessed July 20, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4738?t=23&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

5. “Mike Pence has made no secret about his views on abortion. Will this help or hurt Trump?” Washington Post, July 15, 2016
https://act.moveon.org/go/4749?t=25&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

6. “Pence in 1997: Working mothers stunt emotional growth of children,” CNN Politics, July 19, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4750?t=27&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

7. “Mike Pence launched Republicans’ war on Planned Parenthood,” Vox, July 14, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4751?t=29&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

8. “Mike Pence Used Disney’s ‘Mulan’ to Argue that Women Shouldn’t Serve in the Military,” Fortune, July 18, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4752?t=31&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

9. “Donald Trump Hates Women,” Slate, March 24, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/2589?t=33&akid=166915.7692656.ID3pbJ

The only thing democrats need to know is to get out and vote for Hilary and hang around and vote the republican ticket out.

Give our next POTUS coattails.

But if they were, how many times were we asked to vote for POTUS because he was a man. Oh, how about every time, 44 to be exact.

And even on that you raved when the other man was not a white man. That is why you are so rabid. What will happen to your white male privileges if 16 years go by without a white man fucking up the White House?

Damn scary, indeed for the white boy.

So I guess you do not mind having another George W Bush. The republican president who failed to prevent the 9/11 attacks, and who went to war with another country that had nothing to do with 9/11!!

A war, I might add, gave us ISIS and caused the deaths and displacement of tens of millions of people in the Middle East.