Jackie, a 38-year-old woman, was pregnant with her first child. She had married only a few months earlier, and she and her husband were thrilled that they became pregnant quickly. They were thus very excited to present for their 20-week ultrasound to find out the sex of their baby. Instead, they discovered that their baby had severe brain and heart defects that were not compatible with life.

Jackie recounted to me, “As the baby moved in my belly, I was counseled by the specialists that I could have an abortion, or I could continue the pregnancy only to deliver a baby that would die. This was the worst moment of my life.”

Jackie went on to explain that she and her husband wanted this baby, loved this baby, but were nonetheless sure that the best decision for them was to end the pregnancy now. It was simply unimaginable to them that Jackie would take on the risks to her health that carrying a pregnancy to term entails, or to live through the tragedy of continuing to carry the pregnancy with no hope of delivering a healthy baby.

I was able to help Jackie.

However, owing to the 20-week abortion bans that have been imposed in 15 states and continue to be proposed in states across the country, heart-wrenching decisions such as these no longer remain in the hands of a woman and her treating physician. A woman’s ability to make these difficult decisions for herself increasingly depends on the state where she lives because, incredibly, some state legislators believe their personal opinion should trump that of a distraught mother.

Twenty-week abortion bans force women to continue complicated pregnancies that invariably increase the health risks faced by the mother, while providing no chance of delivering a baby that they will ever be able to take home.