In an era where political decisions can shape our destinies, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, we must vote with consciousness and urgency. As a woman who survived an ectopic pregnancy, I am keenly aware of the unassailable reality that draconian abortion laws, the ultimate example of the inequity of unchecked male power, are resoundingly detrimental to women’s health. Luck has nothing to do with my survival except for the fact that abortion was accessible in the state I lived in at the time.

Restrictive abortion laws affect women’s health by dictating whether women can seek accessible medical procedures that are vital for their survival. The enforcement of restrictive laws creates obstacles to necessary abortion care, potentially costing women their lives. If an embryo implants in an ovary or fallopian tube (eg, an ectopic pregnancy), and medical intervention is not immediately available, women face a catastrophic outcome.

Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition for women, involving internal bleeding, infection and, in some cases, death. Legalized abortion may often be basic, but it’s a crucial safety net. Rather than taking into consideration the medical realities of ectopic pregnancy, abortion laws in many states – both the old prohibitive laws and the current legalized ones that make access difficult – put mothers in peril. Legalized abortion saved my life. I was lucky enough to have access to it. I might not be here today without it.

If I were to experience another ectopic pregnancy in Texas or Georgia, where abortion laws are ambiguous and unconstitutional, chances are, I would probably die. After Roe v Wade was overturned, several states have adopted regulations so expansive and perplexing that even addressing an intractable ectopic pregnancy is dangerous for doctors. They’re scared of legal consequences if they treat someone, even when it saves a woman’s life. Women with ectopic pregnancies are suffering because of broad abortion bans.

When it comes to politics, some of the most important campaigns are those concerning the rights of women, in particular, reproductive rights to do with owning and controlling what happens with one’s body. Political leaders who ignore such rights demonstrate a terrifying type of disregard for women’s lives. Women’s reproductive rights should be on any political agenda – they shouldn’t be overlooked.

This past August, two women in Texas filed a complaint with the Biden administration about how they were refused the care that saved my life. Their ectopic pregnancies, like mine, were non-viable and fatal. Their doctors either hesitated or simply refused to do anything about it for fear of prosecution. These women were compelled to endure hours of torture and death threats – simply because politicians had deemed their lives unsalvageable.

Even in those very restrictive states where abortion is banned, medical experts are baffled. Many do not know what’s permitted by law, and thus they wait — often too long. And now, with Donald Trump signaling he would enact more radical abortion legislation if re-elected, we are standing at a precarious intersection. More women will die if he’s successful. It’s that simple. These laws won’t just affect women who seek abortions due to an unwanted pregnancy – they will affect women such as myself, whose unborn child is life-threatening and needs to be treated immediately.

Women in communities all over the US are expressing serious concerns around the threats to reproductive rights. Our actual experiences, fears as human beings, our everyday realities, prove the point that reproductive rights need to be defended and protected. Mine is one of many stories.

The right to decide what happens to one’s body is so basic that it’s hard to believe it is still teetering on the edge of the state’s whim. The next time you’re preparing to cast your ballot, remind yourself that your vote isn’t just a reflection of your own opinions and values, your own belief in minimizing human suffering. It’s for someone else’s vote, too. It’s for every woman in the world who might not otherwise be able to make one of her own. Vote as if your life is on the line or the life of the woman you love because it just might be.