Who Is Eva Burch? US Senator Discloses Her Abortion Plan In Legislature Speech

Amid the controversial abortion debate in the United States, Arizona Senator Eva Burch revealed that she is pregnant with a nonviable fetus and said she plans to get an abortion. The Democratic legislator opened up about her personal experience and discussed why she believes it is important to discuss women's reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. She took the floor in the State Senate to share the story behind the pregnancy and how it impacted her physical and mental health. The video of her speech is making the rounds on social media, opening vital conversations about why abortion is a human right and also a difficult decision to make. 

In the video, Eva Burch can be heard opening up about a very personal topic: her journey to conceiving, the difficult pregnancy, and the decision to undergo a termination of the pregnancy. "Right now, the safest treatment for me—and the treatment that I choose—is abortion. But the laws that this legislature has passed have interfered with my ability to do that," she said.

Senator Burch's Abortion Plan

Arizona Senator Eva Burch, who is already a mother of two, opened up about why she is choosing to abort the third pregnancy. She revealed that her body went through tremendous stress to conceive "against all odds." She said that she had her first miscarriage over 13 years ago and experienced a "rough journey with fertility," since then, with many unsuccessful pregnancies.

In her speech on March 19, she said, "After numerous ultrasounds and blood draws, we have determined that my pregnancy is, once again, not progressing and is not viable. Once again, I have scheduled an appointment to terminate my pregnancy. Heavy-heartedly, Burch spoke about why she chose to reveal this decision in the Senate.

"I don't think people should have to justify their abortions, but I'm choosing to talk about why I made this decision because I want us to be able to have meaningful conversations about the reality of how the work that we do in this body (the Senate) impacts people in the real world," Burch said.

She continued, "I am safe, loved, and protected in my marriage, but I cannot imagine how inappropriate that would be for a victim of sexual assault, or for someone who has an abusive or coercive relationship with their partner—another unwanted vaginal penetration, but this time by the state, by the people who are commissioned to protect us."

While Arizona permits abortions after 15 weeks, other restrictions in place reportedly limit patients' access to care. To access abortion care in the state, patients are required to make two appointments, first for an in-person counseling session and then they must wait at least 24 hours before they can have the second appointment for the abortion. 

Pointing out to this, Burch said, "A waiting period is often totally inappropriate and potentially dangerous," Moreover, Arizona patients are required to get ultrasounds, even if not medically necessary, and state Medicaid coverage is prohibited, with very limited exceptions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.