In an open letter, more than 150 people who have had abortions later in pregnancy are urging Coloradans to vote against Proposition 115, a November ballot initiative that would ban abortion after 22 weeks.

The initiative imposes criminal penalties for doctors who perform these abortions, with no exceptions for rape, incest, a lethal fetal diagnosis, or risks to the patient’s health.

Should the initiative pass, an abortion after 22 weeks would only be lawful in cases where it is immediately necessary to save a patient’s life–an extremely narrow exception that doctors say wouldn’t prevent women from being denied medically advisable abortions.

Proponents of the initiative argue that it’s a reasonable limit on abortion care and claim that it wouldn’t pose any maternal health risks.

In the letter, the former patients emphasize that all of their individual circumstances were complex and unique, and argue that Prop. 115 doesn’t account for the complicated nature of pregnancy.

Read the full letter below:

Dear Coloradans,

This November, you will be asked to vote on whether Colorado should ban abortion care at 22 weeks. Before casting your vote, we think you should hear from real people who have sought the care you are being asked to criminalize. And then we hope you vote No on Proposition 115.

Each of us has a unique story around our pregnancy and the abortion care we needed. We know, maybe better than anyone, that pregnancy is complex because people’s lives and bodies are complex.

Far too often this complexity is reduced to a partisan political issue, erasing our experiences and making it hard to understand why someone might need this care. Trust that we made informed decisions, we weighed our options carefully, and we did what was right for us and our families.

We recognize that many voters may have conflicted feelings on abortion care later in pregnancy, but Proposition 115 can’t resolve those conflicted feelings because abortion bans have no gray area, no subtlety.

Not only does Proposition 115 empower the state to dictate personal medical decisions, regardless of the circumstances, it would even deny care for someone whose health is threatened by their pregnancy.

Especially concerning is that Proposition 115 targets the medical professionals who provided essential care to us when we needed it, threatening them with criminal penalties and further endangering their lives.

And yet the proponents of Proposition 115 would have you believe it is “reasonable.”

The truth is no ban on essential healthcare is reasonable to someone affected by it. Many of us would have been denied care by a ban like this. Some of us had to travel far from our homes and loved ones because of similar bans in our home states. We know what it meant for us, for our lives and futures, for our families, to be able to access care when we did. We struggle to understand why Coloradans would willingly give that up.

Proposition 115 is an intentionally confusing initiative, and when you read it on the ballot, you may wonder what’s so bad about it. Study after study has shown that bans like Proposition 115 cause real harm, and that people who are already struggling are the most impacted.

Research shows that people denied wanted abortions are worse off– less likely to be able take care of the children they already have, more likely to live in poverty and more likely to stay tethered to abusive partners. However when people are able to determine if, when, and under what circumstances they have children, they thrive.

However you feel about abortion, passing an abortion ban that would harm people is not reasonable. Instead, trust that decisions around pregnancy are best made by the person who is pregnant. Like you, we are moral decision makers who deeply consider our own beliefs, our unique circumstances, and the information we have given the realities of our lives as they actually are.

Please Vote No on 115.

Signed,

Adele McAfee, Colorado
Alex A., Missouri
Alexandra Tronnes, Wisconsin
Alicia L., Minnesota
Allyson G., New York
Allyson N., Florida
Amanda A McAfee, Colorado
Amanda H., New York
Amy A., California
Amy H., Indiana
*Amy Lynn, Colorado
Amy P., Illinois
Angelique Fabiani, North Carolina
Anna B., Other
*Ari Friedman, MD, Pennsylvania
*Ashley E., Colorado
Becky C., California
Beth McKenna, Massachusetts
*Brian Cook, Michigan
*Brittany F., Colorado
*Brooks Jaffa, North Carolina
Bryan Martinez, Arizona
Cameron Randle, Illinois
*Catherine Jepson, Colorado
*Chelsea Galos, Colorado
*Chelsie P., Louisiana
*Christa Pierson , Colorado
*Christina Taylor, Colorado
*Christopher Muzzillo, Colorado
*Colleen Kortendick, New York
Dan Probst, Missouri
*Dana Peirce, Maine
Danella D., Michigan
*Danielle Brown, Colorado
Danielle Tallafuss, Florida
Eliana G., New York
Elizabeth Evans, Massachusetts
*Elizabeth K., Colorado
Erica G., Illinois
Erica Goldblatt Hyatt, Pennsylvania
*Erika Christensen, New York
*Evan Kelly, Colorado
Gabriela Morrison, Oklahoma
*Garin Marschall, New York
Hadleigh Tweedall, Tennessee
Hannah Cowan, California
Heather Browne, Virginia
Hunter A., Missouri
*Ian, Wyoming
Isa Deloge, Massachusetts
Jacqueline Keidel Martinez, Arizona
Jamie H., New Jersey
*Jamie S., Colorado
Jeanie Boyer, Illinois
Jeni Putalavage-Ross, Texas
Jenn Chalifoux, New York
Jennifer H., Nevada
*Jennifer O., Texas
*Jennifer S., Minnesota
Jennifer Steigerwald, Wisconsin
*Jessica H., Oregon
*Jessica Kenney, Colorado
Jillian G., Pennsylvania
John Mayer, Oregon
Josh Riman, New York
Joslyn Newman, Pennsylvania
*Julia Montano, Colorado
*Julia Roncoroni, Colorado
Julie Bindeman, Maryland
Kadie and Justin Tannehill, Missouri
*Kala Karas, New York
Kaleigh, Vermont
Kasha Wasylak, Massachusetts
*Kate Carson, Massachusetts
Kate DeMonte, Illinois
Katerina Mikula, Oregon
Katherine Blaesing, California
Katherine Bryant, Virginia
*Kathleen Beard, Colorado
*Kathleen K., Colorado
*Kathryn K., Colorado
Katie Coyle, New Jersey
Katie Lyon, California
Kelcey M., Oklahoma
Kelly Farley, New York
*Kellyanna Foster, Colorado
Kelsey Rooney-Dorst, Oklahoma
*Kerri K, South Dakota
Kerri Shea, New Jersey
Kira D., Arizona
Kirk Cowan, California
*Kirsten H., Colorado
Laura G., New York
*Laura Hoefert, South Dakota
Lauren M-E., Colorado
Lauren Randle, Illinois
*Lauren S., Colorado
Lauren Sharpe, New York
Lauren T., Georgia
*Leah Harris, Iowa
*Lindsay Arzt, New Jersey
Lindsey Paradiso, Virginia
Lori Beiner, New York
Malika D., Georgia
*Mallory A., Colorado
Maria Koegl, Texas
Marisa Pizii, Massachusetts
Marla Rzeszotarski, Pennsylvania
*Meg Piasecki, Ohio
*Megan H. , Iowa
*Melissa Kastanek, Colorado
*Michael Barcone, New York
Michelle Robison, Georgia
Miriam Nunberg, New York
Missy Kurzweil, New York
*Mitchell Hart, Colorado
Mona B., Texas
Natalie C., California
Nicole G., Minnesota
Nicole Williams, Kansas
*Nicole Winkler, Montana
Olivia F., California
*Pam Vova, Georgia
Patricia Probst, Missouri
*Payal P., New York
Phillip Wood, Missouri
Rachel E.K. Freedman, Maryland
Reneé Saxon, Texas
*Rhonda Pohlman, PharmD, Colorado
*Riata L Walker, Wyoming
*Robert, Wyoming
Robin Utz, Missouri
*Rupal Jaffa, North Carolina
*S. Margot Finn, Michigan
Sally Caccese, New Jersey
Sam Davis, Pennsylvania
Sarah B., New York
*Sarah S., Colorado
*Sarah Watkins, Georgia
Saundra H, Kansas
*Shari Sjogren, Washington
*Shauna Planck, Colorado
*Shayda P., Colorado
Stacy R., Missouri
Stephanie Grubb, California
Susan I., California
*T.S. Mendola, Pennsylvania
*Tammy Nash, Georgia
*Therese A., Colorado
Tippy Amundson, Minnesota
*Tracy Jones, Wyoming
*Trevor R., South Dakota
Valerie Goehring, Maryland
*Valerie H., Colorado
Valerie Smith, Florida
*Zoe R., New York

* Indicates signer obtained abortion care in Colorado, including both residents and those who traveled from across the country for care