Local residents’ thoughts on Roe v. Wade being overturned

On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned rights given in Roe v. Wade, upholding Dobbs v. Jackson and declaring that the constitutional right to an abortion no longer exists, leaving legislation surrounding abortion up to individual states.
While some residents and groups agree with the decision and are glad it passed, others are disappointed and worry about what it means for women.  An Upper Valley resident “Susan Smith”, who asked to be anonymous, got an abortion soon after Roe v. Wade originally passed because it was not the right time in her life to have a baby.
Although Smith mourned the recent Supreme Court decision for a few days, it doesn’t mean getting an abortion was easy, yet she does not regret it and sees abortion as a medical procedure.
“There was a loss… [but] I don’t regret it at all,” she said. “In the last two weeks, I have been reflecting on it much more. I felt like it was the right decision for someone who wasn’t prepared to have a child. I wasn’t ready for a child.”
Eventually, when she was more settled down, Smith married and raised a child herself, which she says was a wonderful experience in part because it was the right time.

“[Raising her] was fabulous. She was so talented. She got involved in ski team at a very young age and played basketball, soccer,” Smith said, “It was great, she is so wonderful.”
On July 8, President Biden issued an executive order designed to ensure access to abortion medication and emergency contraception, but how the order gets implemented is yet to be seen.
The executive order will not be favored by everyone. Gene Helsel, pastor at King’s Cross Church in Wenatchee, said that the Sunday after the Supreme Court ruling, his church rejoiced.

“Last Sunday, for the first time in my 27 year history as a pastor in the Wenatchee Valley, we began our Sunday morning worship service with three increasingly loud ‘hip-hip-hoorays’ for God’s mercy to our country,” Helsel said.
Abortion is now banned in at least 10 states, with more expected to follow. Thirteen states had “trigger laws” on the books which were put in place to ban abortion in the case that Roe v. Wade was overturned, but some have been blocked in the courts. Twenty-one states have restricted or are expected to restrict abortion and nine states are uncertain. Abortion is protected in 21 states.
Washington is expanding access to abortion. Governor Inslee announced that the Washington State Patrol is prohibited from cooperating with other states who are investigating out-of-state abortions. State law prohibits anyone from penalizing, prosecuting, or taking any adverse action against patients exercising their reproductive rights.
Helsel doesn’t agree that abortion shouldn’t have legal consequences and thinks that people who give or get abortions should face legal consequences, but with certain distinctions.
“Not every taking of life is the same. Our legal system recognizes the difference between first-degree and second-degree murder,” he said. “I believe that abortion providers, because of their deceitful propaganda and their actual taking of life are the most culpable.”
Helsel said that he thinks abortion should not be legalized and access to Plan B, the “morning after pill” that helps to prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of sex, should be restricted. He said that rape and the health of the mother are very different situations when it comes to abortion and if a mother is likely to die, then doctors should “do everything in their power to preserve life.”
Taking Plan B is not the same pill that is used to induce an abortion once someone is pregnant. Dr. Mara Merritt, family practice physician at Cascade Medical Center, said that Plan B prevents conception while a medication abortion stops the growth of a pregnancy. Emergency contraception pills work to stop the release of an egg from the ovary. If an egg is fertilized, Plan B may prevent it from attaching to the womb, but it will not end a pregnancy.
“Plan B doesn’t work if you are already pregnant. It only works at preventing pregnancy,” Dr. Merritt said.
Dr. Merritt said that she thinks abortion should be available to women and even though society may think some reasons for abortion are more legitimate, her job as a doctor is not to judge patients for their reasons for getting abortions and instead to provide support and compassion.
She said that what type of abortion a woman may get depends on their point in pregnancy. Before 10 weeks of pregnancy, they are likely to get a medication abortion. Women who are further along in their pregnancies or have different preferences will get a suction procedure.
When her patient is pregnant, Merritt asks a woman if the pregnancy is planned or unplanned.  She presents and discusses all options with her patients, keeping the baby, adoption, and abortion.
Sharon Tveten, a Leavenworth resident for 22 years who now lives here part-time, is pro-life. Tveten says that it is easy for infants to get adopted but it is much harder to get older children adopted because everyone wants to adopt babies.
She has adopted eight children herself from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Originally, Tveten tried to adopt locally, but since she already had seven biological children, she had too many children to legally foster in Washington. Instead, she adopted internationally from Latvia and Haiti.
Even though adoption was expensive financially and took time, she said raising her kids has been worthwhile. She said that one of her adopted children just graduated high school and that the child is going to go to college after serving a mission for her church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Her friends back in the country have already dropped out of high school, a couple of them are pregnant already, it would have been a very different situation [if she hadn’t been adopted],” Tveten said.
Although Tveten is pro-life, she said that in the case of rape or the life of the mother, woman should be able to “take something to prevent pregnancy or help them to not carry the baby.” She also acknowledges that a woman getting an unsafe abortion is a legitimate concern and says that women need birth control and access to counseling.
However, Tveten believes that an unborn child has a spirit from conception and should be respected as a person. She said that when she had a miscarriage in her first trimester, she felt the loss of a human. Tveten said that she loves all her children, including one who is a member of the LGBTQ community, and lets them decide for themselves what their religious beliefs are.
Adoption is not always an easy option. Some children can be difficult to adopt, Tveten said. Her family adopted a boy who had severe emotional and behavior issues. The child eventually decided to go back to live with his biological father. He wasn't forced out of the family, but she said the adoption was “so challenging.”
For a low-income woman, the cost of medical care can be a concern. Tveten tried to adopt a baby girl from Florida and paid for the mother’s medical care. The mother had high blood pressure, making the birth difficult, and eventually decided to keep the baby. Tveten said that she found out after the fact that the woman had previously given birth to a child who had died due the fact that the woman did not receive care for her high blood pressure.
On the other side of the spectrum, medical care is a concern for Dr.Merritt as well. In states where abortion is illegal, she is worried that women who cannot afford to travel out of state will not have access to abortion. She does not think that there are enough social programs for low-income women and children. In Washington, abortion is usually provided by a separate clinic, Merritt said.  
In Chelan County, the Planned Parenthood at 900 Ferry St. in Wenatchee provides abortions for the region. Paul Dillion, Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood in Washington, said that the facility provides medication abortions but does not provide surgical abortions. Dillion said that Roe v. Wade being overturned is concerning because it opens the doors for other restrictions on things like contraception and marriage equality.
He said that abortion services aren’t the only thing that Planned Parenthood provides. The clinic also provides birth control, STD testing and services, behavioral health, gender-affirming care and men’s health care, he said.
“[Planned Parenthood] is here. We are not going anywhere… We won’t be threatened or intimidated. We are going to keep providing the care that the community needs no matter what,” Dillon said.