I moved my family to Utah permanently because I wanted my children to be in a place where difference of opinion can exist with dignity. Where they can learn to keep their own moral true north, yet expressed with respect.
I also stand before you with the firm belief that each of us has the right to express our family values and culture of our homes. You have that freedom and that right.
I believe that you should be able to look to your children and say, we do not believe in abortion. I believe you have the right to determine according to your own system of beliefs when life begins. I, too, would like the freedom to express my feelings about the matter to my children and to ask them to hold my values dear just like you would.
Many of us share a belief in bodily autonomy. I believe that each of us get to make the decisions for our bodies that is aligned with what we want and need for our best lives. That is in accordance to our morals and our spiritual perspectives.
Some feel that being vaccinated is a community responsibility. My children and I are vaccinated, but I would never come to your home and insist that my values are imposed upon your body if that is something that you truly feel will bring you harm.
I have deep roots in this state. My uncle was a bishop and is a conservative Republican whose beliefs keep evolving. Those conversations were always deeply rewarding, and forced me to be less lazy about my point’s of view.
The choices we are taking about today are difficult ones. I do not believe that anyone takes them lightly. I believe we all love our kids and would do anything to protect them from pain. Including all of you I stand before today.
There are Utahns facing complex, personal decisions about their health and creating a climate where people are worried about getting essential care during pregnancy is to me tremendously sad.
These are difficult times for everyone, and I fear that leaving families and individuals to travel hundreds of miles to receive health care for their needs will create more downstream consequences that none of us want to put individuals through.
We strive to take care of each other, even others whose lives we might not relate to based on our lived experience
I believe that everyone cares about our fellow citizens, and knowing that hospitals are not required to provide this care, and that families could be driving from place to place, putting jobs at risk, trying to find someone to help them in a time of great anxiety does not feel like the spirit of this place that I love.
This seems to be in conflict with so many of you that I have met and stared into the eyes of.
I can’t imagine that, instead of promoting policies that make essential health care more accessible, more affordable and easier to manage, Utah lawmakers want to put more barriers between their constituents and the health care they need. Many of whom have needed this care privately, because they have determined that is what is best for their well being.
I have imagined what it will be like for young woman whose pregnancy would intensify the intimate partner violence she’s already experiencing, to the couple with a chronic condition that makes pregnancy dangerous to continue, to the marginalized teenager who realizes too late that she is pregnant and alone. A woman who has experienced a miscarriage and needs the care that will help see her into a healthy future pregnancy. Hard-working families whose resources are limited and they want to responsibly care for the children they already have. I can not claim to know what is best for any other individual, that is between a person and their doctor, again at the heart of this is the concept of freedom.
Decisions about family composition, when, whether and how to start a family are some of the most deeply personal decisions we ever make.
I believe we want to be in the service of peoples dignity and humanity to make those decisions and to give healthcare providers the ability to serve them. We need experienced people and providers in the field and for these cases not to be pushed to the already over-worked emergency rooms. I guess the invitation is to pull back for the greater good, and a Utah that will continue to be an abundant and attractive place for further industry and for our great citizens.
Amy Redford
Amy Redford is a Salt Lake City filmmaker and mother.