I had an abortion in college and I testified about it to the Idaho legislature in 2015 before they passed an unconstitutional ban on remote medical abortions. Planned Parenthood sued and Idaho was forced to repeal the law. The ACLU captured my testimony here: https://www.acluidaho.org/en/cindy
Thank you Chair and Committee Members.
My name is Cindy Gross of Boise, ID and I am here in opposition to HB154.
My dad was a doctor. He spent my pre-school years getting his undergraduate degree. He spent my grade school years in medical school. He spent my junior high years doing an internship. He spent years and years learning to make medical decisions.
My dad taught me to trust science. Medical science shows medical abortions are safe.
I had an abortion when I was in college. I have no regrets about my abortion. I had no side effects from my abortion. I have no shame over my decision to have an abortion. I made that decision with my doctor and the man who later became my husband. I saw no need to ask my elected officials then or now, for permission to make this private medical decision. I relied on my doctor for medical advice and on my husband for support.
Every woman has the legal right to make her own medical decisions without the heavy hand of government getting between her, us, women – and our doctors.
My dad gave medically informed advice to his patients, based on his years of medical training and experience. My dad used his years of medical training and medical experience, along with community standards of care, to decide which of his staff, sometimes himself, would perform each medical procedure. He did not perform most of those procedures himself. Then he let his patients make their own decisions. Politicians who generally have little or no medical training have no business being in the middle of my private medical decisions. Politicians with no medical training have no business telling doctors to ignore their own medical training and community standards of care. Politicians with no medical training have no business forcing doctors to replace their own medical judgment with political maneuvering.
Respect me, respect doctors like my dad, respect women and their ability to make their own medical decisions.
Please vote no on HB 154.
Idaho Republicans Have to Roll Back Abortion Restrictions and They Feel ‘Sad’
