WK8Proj_Jackson_E_LEP

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Module 8 Assignment: Letter to a Policymaker Report prepared by: Evony Jackson Date: October 29th, 2023 Walden University WMBA 6604: Law, Ethics, and Policy in Healthcare Administration

2 Dear Governor Brian Kemp, As a child growing up, we lived right across the street from the low- income housing projects. Those children were my friends, my neighbors, we went to school together, we played together. I watched as many community leaders rallied to shut down and demolish the projects instead of actively improving and/or assisting in the transformation of the projects. Instead of using their platform for good, while being the liaison between the community and government officials, they chose to support the forcing of single mothers and their families and the elderly, who most had lived in their homes 40/50 years. From that moment on, being a minority black woman, I had issues trusting authority figures. As a politician, you should be making decisions in the best interest of the state of Georgia, by evaluations, thorough assessments, etc., so that you will have a bigger picture of the situation as well as the potential complications of said decision. These decisions, that have created new laws and regulations, should not be implemented based on your own personal beliefs and biases and it is very apparent that is what you did. Due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S Supreme Court, we, American citizens know it is the choice of the individual states to decide on their own restrictions or bans on abortions. I am pretty sure you are aware of the “Heartbeat bill” that you signed banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Within that time frame, many women do not even know they are pregnant yet ( Orjoux et al ., 2019). A 6-week time frame is unacceptable, when most women do not even know they are pregnant at that time. Many people do not know they are pregnant until after the 12th week: some are still bleeding, others are on medications that caused cycle changes, and still other people do not have pregnancy symptoms (Housman, 2022). Who is the government to determine a woman’s fate and her future? It is not anyone’s choice to takeaway a woman free will. It is not your decision to decide what a woman chooses to do with her body. A woman you have never met, never conversed, do not understand her background, her future goals, her homelife. You know absolutely nothing but took it upon yourself to decide for her. Have you not researched the statistics of maternal deaths due to illegal abortions, that you are basically coercing these women to get, by forcing their hands, prior to making such a hasty decision? If a woman decides she wants to terminate her pregnancy, she will do it regardless. So why would you remove safe and effective healthcare, that we have been fighting so hard for? Restrictions on access to abortion care cause significant harm, especially to marginalized and vulnerable populations. Access to abortion is fundamental to the health of individuals,

3 families, and communities and is a public health issue. Worldwide, over 7 million women are admitted to hospitals every year due to complications that arise from having unsafe and illegal abortions and up to 31,000 women die. (LA County Department of Public Health, n.d.) . This inconsiderate decision has caused life altering decisions for hundreds, possibly thousands, of women, and they have no say so, in their own futures. What makes it even worse is now for those women who are identified as having an illegal abortion, they can be fined while they are already experiencing mental and physical anguish. Did you consider the clinics, physicians, the employees, and their livelihood? Or the cause and effect of your decision. Due to the new laws, many physicians have begun leaving their sates and practicing in other states where it is legal, so now we will see a decrease in healthcare providers in certain states. Abortion bans subject clinicians to harsh civil penalties, including fines up to $10 000, criminal punishments, or suspension of medical licenses (Reingold et al., 2022). Numerous providers have chosen to leave their homes and their states to open new practices and clinics elsewhere. Have you heard of the Turn Away Study. Housman (2022), discussed in detail a study named the Turn Away Study that demonstrated the impacts of being denied a wanted abortion in over 1000 women in a five-year period. They found that denying these women an abortion creates economic hardship, insecurities that lasts for years in comparison with women who obtained their desired abortion. She continues to confer those women denied the abortion had lowered credit scores as well as increased debt, bankruptcies, and evictions. They were also more likely to stay in contact with a violent partner. The financial well-being and development of prior and subsequent children was also negatively impacted. Finally, giving birth was connected to more serious long-term health problems than having an abortion. No matter what angle you try to look at this situation at, the fact is, abortion is an essential component of women's health care. Imposing your beliefs and biases on a society, is like playing God to the state of Georgia, but you are no God. This is a huge public health issue. Not realizing that having access to abortions is fundamental to the health of individuals, their families, and communities makes me unsure and uncertain in your capabilities in leading the state of Georgia. Understanding community perception of abortion is critical in informing the design and delivery of interventions that reduce the gaps in access to safe abortion for women (Ushie et al., 2019). Now, with the recent government changes, we have

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