Letters to the Editor Policy

Thoughts On The Issue

I would like to express some thoughts on the abortion “issue.”

1. Abortion should be a non-issue. It is no one’s business whether someone in your family or in mine has an abortion. The decision should be between the woman, her doctor, and her God, however she interprets him/her. If there is a husband, of course his view should be taken into consideration. If there is a husband, there is usually no problem in the first place – unless he cannot find work to support a family.

2. Religious law should not be confused with government law. Nor should religious leaders be allowed to force their idealism on those who believe differently from them. The United States of America is not a theocracy, it is a democracy. It cannot be both.

3. There are other reasons for abortion than birth control. If you doubt this, go to the internet and look up “drug babies.” These children suffer brain damage in varying extremes. One article tells of 20 babies and children born of women who were on hard drugs before and/or during their pregnancies. These children were put up for adoption and, although the prospective parents were warned of the difficulties that might ensue, the adoptions went through. These adoptive parents were sure that they could love these children enough to help them get past the horrors they’d been through. Of these 20 children, 10 were returned to the orphanage, the adoptive parents often in tears. The consensus was, “Love is not enough” to turn these children’s lives around. These are not happy babies, they don’t become happy children, and they don’t grow into happy adults. Their mental and physical pain is excruciating. They should not be forced to live just because some arrogant individuals have taken it upon themselves to declare that abortion is wrong, thereby denying abortion to pregnant drug addicts and allowing – enforcing! – this pain on these children.

4. Our country – our world! – is grossly overpopulated. Every medical doctor, or at least every OB/GYN doctor, should be well-trained in safe abortion procedures as well as in birth-control counseling. Please be reminded that the biblical quote is not, “Go forth and over-populate the earth.”

5. We don’t need fertility clinics when we have so many unwanted and orphaned children. If you find that you can’t have a child in the normal manner, and you really want children, and if you are prepared to give them a happy home, adopt! Dump your “got–to-be-my-own-flesh-and-blood” ego! There are countless kids just waiting for you to be their parents! They weren’t aborted, they’re with us today. If you’re against abortion, shouldn’t you consider yourself obligated to adopt an un-aborted child?

6. No religious body should be allowed to influence our government legislation regarding the use of birth control and abortion. It is wrong for “the church” or any other religious body, to be empowered to tell non-members of their church how they should live, and it is also wrong for them to be allowed to influence government legislation, when that legislation is made for all of its people. If your church preaches that abortion is wrong, and you agree with that, fine; don’t have an abortion. Let them support your unwanted child, or the child you can’t afford. Let them put their money where their mouth is! (If “certain” churches did not preach against “the pill” and other forms of birth control, it stands to reason that there would be far less call for abortions.)

7. If we don’t start controlling and lowering our population growth now, we’ll have to wonder if our children or grandchildren will be reduced to the tactics that are used by China today. In urban China, a married couple is allowed only one child. If the first is a girl, they may petition to have another. (Their petition may also be refused.) Further pregnancies bring about pressure from the Chinese government to abort the pregnancy. Although originally established over 20 years ago as a “temporary measure,” the law has been reinstated until 2010. Do we want enforced birth control here? I don’t think so. Look up “Birth Control in China” on the internet. It’s interesting – they do have a real problem, and they are trying to deal with it. We should watch and learn, and not let their experience go to waste. We should learn to understand that voluntary birth control now is the better way to go, than enforced birth control later on.

- Do I believe in abortion as a measure of birth control? No, not if it is just to get rid of an “inconvenient” pregnancy. But then again, it’s really none of my business.

- Do I believe in “late term abortion”? Not if it can be helped. If it weren’t for self-righteous and arrogant people who stand in the way of abortion-on-demand, most abortions could and would be performed in the first trimester.

- Do I believe abortion is murder? No, I don’t. I believe that life begins with the first drawn breath, outside the mother’s body. Giving a fetus full-fledged person status is a tool invented by people who consider themselves better-than-you. The title “Pro-Life” is another tool they use, to make any opposition look like they must be “Anti-Life.” These “Pro-Life” people enjoy the power of being able to tell the rest of us how to live, if we let them. What they accomplish is confusion, anxiety and stress, which is far from helpful.

In summation, I think that “we, the people” need to spend more time taking care of the real, existing problems – the ones that we already have – rather than spending that time on passing judgments and slinging arrows at those whose actions don’t even have an impact on the rest of us. If you do believe abortion is wrong, don’t have one. Freedom of choice does not force you to have an abortion. Just don’t go putting an unwanted or unaffordable child on the welfare rolls, so the rest of us have to support your lack of responsibility. Remember, the pendulum swings both ways – we have rights, but we also have responsibilities. We should not condemn women or couples who choose birth control. We should not condemn women who choose abortion, or the doctors who perform them. It is not up to us, or given to us, to interfere with their lives or put them under stress. We have not walked that mile in their shoes. We need to cut out the arrogance and judgementalism and replace them with compassion and common sense.

Sincerely,

Gail Clark

Nicholson, PA

Who Is At Fault?

I swore I was not going to get involved in the abortion issue. However, it can't be the democrats’ fault. In our country, I am sure no child could go on their own to get an abortion. Then, who makes the final choice?

The republicans? The democrats? Nah, I think it is the parents, no matter what religion; if someone needs to hide the fault of their children, it is the parents who decide. Not our government. I could blame the republicans for not being more strict and teach their kids to abstain instead. Oops, now what. It is a moral issue, and not a political one. I could be wrong. The taking of a life is a sin, a mortal sin. Are all the doctors doing these horrific acts all democrats?

The church seems to be trying to find someone to blame. Seems to me they should do a better job teaching sex education. Oops, it is a moral issue, and not a political one. I wonder what the pope would say if any president would tell him how to run the church? Church and state?

Sincerely,

Peter A. Seman

Thompson, PA

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