Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Opponents of pro-life laws often focus on heart-wrenching cases involving women in tough situations: cases of fetal abnormality; fetal demise and the trauma of carrying a lifeless baby; and horrific stories of rape. All are traumatic cases that most of us could never relate to.  But asserting that abortion should be legal because of hard cases doesn't make for good public policy. Claire Culwell put a unique face on the issue when she testified on a bill that would ban most abortions when a heartbeat is detected.  Culwell told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee “We have names. We have faces. We have stories. We are human. We deserve to have a voice and a chance at life.” Her testimony was so powerful because she survived an abortion attempt more than 30 years ago.