Professor listed 11 reasons why she is anti-abortion but believes it is a person's human right

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on September 9, 2021

A lot had been said about Texas' restrictive abortion law since it was first proposed, opposed and eventually enforced in September 2021. Among those who spoke out against the draconian law was Dr. Eliz Markowitz, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston who teaches undergraduate courses in the Health Education program. On Twitter a few months ago, Markowitz listed 11 reasons why she's anti-abortion but supports an individual's right to choose whether they want an abortion or not. Now, with the U.S. Supreme Court's judgment overturning Roe v. Wade, this thread is more relevant than ever.

"In response to the recent legislative action in my state of Texas: I'm not pro-murdering babies. I'm pro-Juanita who found out at her 20-week anatomy scan that the infant she had been so excited to bring into this world had developed without life-sustaining organs," she tweeted. "I'm pro-Susan who was sexually assaulted on her way home from work, only to come to the horrific realization that her assailant planted his seed in her when she got a positive pregnancy test result a month later."

"I'm pro-Nabeeha who hemorrhaged due to a placental abruption, causing her parents, spouse, and children to have to make the impossible decision on whether to save her or her unborn child," Markowitz continued. "I'm pro-little Cathy who had her innocence ripped away from her by someone she should have been able to trust and her 11-year-old body isn't mature enough to bear the consequence of that betrayal. I'm pro-Melissa who's working two jobs just to make ends meet and has to choose between bringing another child into poverty or feeding the children she already has because her spouse walked out on her."

"I'm pro-Nhi who realizes that she is in no way financially, emotionally, or physically able to raise a child. I'm pro-Emily who did IVF, ending up with SIX viable implanted eggs requiring selective reduction in order to ensure the safety of her and a SAFE amount of fetuses. I'm pro-Jessica who is FINALLY getting the strength to get away from her physically abusive spouse only to find out that she is carrying the monster's child," she wrote. "I'm pro-Vanessa who went into her confirmation appointment after YEARS of trying to conceive only to hear silence where there should be a heartbeat."

"I'm pro-Anjaly who lost her virginity in her sophomore year with a broken condom and now has to choose whether to be a teenage mom or just a teenager. I'm pro-Courtney who just found out she's already 13 weeks along, but the egg never made it out of her fallopian tube so either she terminates the pregnancy or risks dying from internal bleeding. You can argue and say that I'm pro-choice all you want, but the truth is: I'm pro-life. Their lives. Women's lives. You don't get to pick and choose which scenarios should be accepted," Markowitz explained.

"It's not about which stories you don't agree with. It's about fighting for the women in the stories that you do agree with and the CHOICE that was made. Women's rights are meant to protect ALL women, regardless of their situation," she concluded.