Tamara Kay and Susan Ostermann: Lies about abortion have dictated health policy

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that abortion policy should be decided at the state level, a number of high-profile abortion issues have appeared on state ballots. In each of these cases — even in conservative states — voters have chosen to support abortion rights. With voters increasingly being asked to make abortion policy, it is critical that they understand the facts in order to make informed decisions.

During the last 50 years, lies and intentional misinformation have dictated abortion health policy in the U.S. Abortion has been demonized and characterized by utter falsities; it has gone under the radar for far too long. After the Roe decision in 1973, many of these lies became enshrined in targeted regulation of abortion providers, or TRAP, laws meant to erode access to abortion by creating unnecessary and unsafe obstacles for abortion providers and patients that ultimately damage women’s physical and mental health.

Because lies have dictated health policy, it is even more important to correct them now that voters are choosing policy on the state level.

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