Letter to the editor: Abortion burial proposal invasion of privacy

Dear state Rep. Kathy Rapp:

You continue to introduce legislation about me without returning my offers to talk. You don’t consult with the health care professionals that cared for me and my baby. Instead, you choose to bury your head in the sand because you don’t want to hear the truth, but I will not be silenced.

I had an abortion. I exercised my right to choose at 22 weeks into my pregnancy — after my son’s ultrasound revealed severe abnormalities not compatible with life.

When I heard about House Bill 118, the legislation you co-sponsored, I was horrified. It would require Pennsylvanians to bury or cremate their fetal or embryonic remains after an abortion.

No guidebook exists on seeking closure after a devastating loss. I took it one step at a time and trusted my instincts on what I needed to do to find closure. Being forced to bury or cremate my son would have unmoored me.

I donated my son’s remains to scientific research. This gave a sliver of meaning to the difficult truth — I lost him before I ever got to hold him.

Reconsider this bill. Pennsylvanians are entitled to privacy and self-determination, particularly during intensely personal times.

Kelsey Williams

Fox Chapel