“Lucky” — a word I use to describe one of the worst days of my life. My name is Rachel, I am a medical student, a hopeful future OB-GYN, and a woman who had an abortion. Let me tell you one of the many reasons why I fight so hard for reproductive freedom and health care access.

When I was 21, I found out I was pregnant. It was absolutely unexpected — after all, I had an IUD, a form of birth control that is more than 99% effective. When the doctor first told me I was pregnant, I immediately knew something was wrong with the pregnancy. I had been bleeding for weeks and I was in horrible pain. In a panic, my doctor arranged for me to go to the emergency room to figure out what was going on. Within the hour, I had discovered that I had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.

At only 21 years old, I had to have incredibly difficult conversations about my life, my health, and the immediate danger I was in, along with what this meant for my future fertility. I was in college with no plans to start a family anytime soon, making decisions that would affect me forever. I spent so much time asking my doctor about the chances of me being able to get pregnant again someday without interventions such as IVF. The information I received was discouraging, but I had no choice. I needed emergency surgery to save my life.

In less than 24 hours, my entire life flipped upside down. But at least I was alive.

I lived in Minnesota when this happened — a state with laws protecting abortion rights. At the hospital I went to, there was no delay in deciding if my case was dangerous enough to warrant terminating the pregnancy. There was no argument over whether my pregnancy was viable. There was no discouragement from providers about making this choice. My condition was taken seriously, and I was, thankfully, not dismissed or fed misinformation about the state of my pregnancy. I went to the doctor at 9 a.m. and my ruptured fallopian tube was removed by midnight that same day. In less than 24 hours, my entire life flipped upside down. But at least I was alive.

I am 25 now. In the last four years I have spent a lot of time processing what happened to me that day and how it will affect my future. It has inspired me to learn more about reproductive rights, the field of OB-GYN, and women’s health. It also encouraged me to advocate for those facing all obstetric and gynecologic emergencies.

When I hear stories now — such as the two women in Texas who were denied care for their own ectopic pregnancies and have since asked U.S. health authorities to investigate the hospitals — I consider myself lucky. I’m lucky because I was able to access care, without any argument over whether my situation was enough of an emergency. The doctors did not have to fear that by performing surgery, they could potentially lose their license, face crippling fines, or face prosecution. The two women in Texas lost fallopian tubes as a result of delays in care. Their doctors had to determine whether performing life-saving abortions would result in legal prosecution for themselves or the patients. When I heard about these stories, I was absolutely horrified. Abortion is health care. No matter what circumstance it presents itself in.

I tell my story to demonstrate the power of accessible, comprehensive reproductive health care.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, in states where abortion is restricted, patients are hurting more than ever. Restrictive abortion policies predominantly affect communities of color, young people, immigrants, people living with low incomes, and people living with disabilities — groups that already face immense barriers in accessing care. And as bad as things are now, they would undoubtedly get worse if Donald Trump and JD Vance make it to the White House. Donald Trump continuously brags about overturning Roe and has said that women who have an abortion should face “punishment.” JD Vance’s own website previously said he supports “eliminating” abortion. And then there’s Project 2025 — a conservative blueprint of what will happen in a second-term presidency for Donald Trump — which calls for “federal powers” to ban abortion nationwide.

I tell my story to demonstrate the power of accessible, comprehensive reproductive health care. I am alive because of it, and I will continue to fight — through my career and advocacy — until every single person seeking abortion care, for whatever reason it may be, has that same access. And you never know when you might need that access. So, I say to any of you reading this: speak out, vote, encourage others to vote, have discussions with your friends, professors, legislators, write your story — do anything that feels right. We cannot let ourselves, our future patients, and our future generations suffer in the way that women and pregnant people have since Trump’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

In telling my story, I want to acknowledge my community who have stood by me and supported me through it all. I would not have had the ending I did without my family, my amazing friends, my partner at the time, and the health care workers that saved my life that day. I am grateful for you all.

My Ectopic Pregnancy Put My Life At Risk. Now, I’m Fighting For Others To Get The Care They Need

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