In January 2015, leaders in the House of Representative swapped a bill banning abortion hours before it went to a vote. The reason? The bill to ban abortion was too extreme — even for some opponents of abortion. What did they switch it to? Another bill that merely restricts access to abortion, instead of banning it outright.

The switch may have helped them that day but it exposes what we’ve known for too long — they will stop at nothing to go after abortion. Any chance they get, they will take. And they haven’t given up on banning abortion.

The bill banning abortions will come to a vote any day now. Voice your opposition today.

Why were a few anti-abortion politicians uncomfortable with the bill? It’s not that it would ban later abortion in every state across the country — which it would.

It’s not that it’s unconstitutional — which it is.

Maybe they believe a woman’s health, not politics, should drive important medical decisions? Nope.

It’s because a few of them figured out that their constituents would not look too kindly on the bill’s narrow exception for rape, which applies only to survivors who report to the authorities. (Most survivors of sexual assault do not report it.) Their concern was politics — not women’s health.

But the reality is that a ban on abortion is a ban on abortion, no matter the exceptions. Tell your Member of Congress to leave women’s personal medical decisions to the woman and the people she trusts by voting NO on this ban on abortion.

Every woman’s situation is different and no woman should ever be denied the ability to make her own health decision in consultation with the people she trusts. It’s time to stop politicians from barging into our health care providers’ offices.

Tell your representative to vote NO on a nationwide ban on abortion.

Thanks for keeping it personal,

Gretchen Borchelt
Acting Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center