I don’t go a day without hearing, ‘Abortion is murder.’ I don’t think I’m a criminal.

If you’ve had a miscarriage and made the decision to take medication to end the pregnancy, the state of Kentucky wants to track it. Senate Bill 50 would require a doctor to report when medication is given to end a pregnancy.

A missed miscarriage is when an embryo fails to develop or a fetus does not have a heartbeat, but the woman’s body does not recognize this and does not abort or end the pregnancy like someone experiencing a typical miscarriage. Medication, the surgical procedures dilation and curettage or evacuation (D&C or D&E), or induction are options a women currently has if she experiences a missed miscarriage and wants to end the pregnancy.

I cannot fathom why the bill’s sponsors want this to become law other than to inflate the number of abortions in the state so they can use the data to horrify people and ultimately criminalize something women have no control over.

Abortion is a broad term, and it also is not a choice. It means different things to different people, but it is important to recognize how medical professionals use the term. Abortion is commonly defined as the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.

I was shocked when I read the paperwork after my first miscarriage. It stated the diagnosis as a “missed abortion.” I thought, “Wait, this was a wanted baby... how could it be labeled an abortion?” I started doing research and found that this is the term charted by medical professionals both when a woman “miscarries” or has an “elective” abortion.

All three of the losses my husband and I have had have ended with the decision for me to either be prescribed medication, have a D&C, or be induced. With the first two I could have waited to “spontaneously abort,” but the thought of carrying around a dead fetus was not something I could handle. With the third, I did not have many options, as I was 18 weeks pregnant and the risk of carrying a deceased fetus inside me would become more life threatening as time passed, if my body did not “spontaneously abort.” The thought of birthing at home was also not something I could handle and would be dangerous because of the risk of a retained placenta. My options then were to either be induced or have a D&E. Again, all these options are forms of abortion.

I understand why we use the term “miscarriage” instead of “abortion.” I’ve read the stories of many women who’ve miscarried and were outraged when their medical paperwork had the word abortion in it. I understand their anger, but it does not change the fact that miscarriage is abortion.

This revelation is why I continue to fight the commonwealth’s intention of outlawing all abortions.

These legislators either have no idea how their laws can affect all women, or they don’t care. Either is unacceptable.

I don’t go a day without seeing or hearing someone saying, “Abortion is murder.”

I don’t think I’m a criminal. I’m sure the millions of women who have miscarried don’t think of themselves as criminals either. For some reason, many legislators are determined to label us all that way anyway.

These laws do not differentiate between elective, spontaneous or missed abortions.

I have reached out to all 100 members of the House Representatives and spoken at a Senate committee hearing and no one who has voted for or is a proponent of this session’s abortion bills can tell me how they affect women who miscarry.

This is why it is so important for doctors and pregnant women to be able to make informed decisions no matter what the circumstances are.

Katie Vandegrift of Midway is a patient advocate.