LETTER: Abortion column misinterpreted

Editor,

In reply to Jillian Tueller’s letter to the editor that appeared on Jan. 26:

Having read it myself, I am afraid that you misinterpreted Cy Martz’s column or chose to not understand it.

Your personal story, while touching, is entirely irrelevant as Mr. Martz never implied that single parents are ineffective, merely that forcing a mentally, emotionally and financially unprepared person to raise a child, as a “natural consequence” of a sexual encounter would destroy the lives of both the mother and child. I have faith in individuals to make the right decision based upon their ethical guidelines, financial situation and other concerns in even considering abortion.

You claim that premarital and extramarital sex is not inevitable. What undemocratic legislation and fascist police networks would be required to enforce your convictions about a personal thing such as intercourse.

Whenever you referred to the left’s view on reproductive rights you called it “pro-abortion” which is not true. Liberals use the term pro-choice … it sounds like you think that the left feels that abortions should be mandatory. It is the right would take away a woman’s choice.

I am not naïve enough to hope that by criminalizing abortions we will ultimately prevent them from occurring. Historically, women have always taken measures to terminate pregnancy, that will never change but It still saddens me that abortions happen. I don’t find it necessary to endanger a woman’s health or life in seeking one, which is why I favor sterilized professional procedures over dark alleys and coat hangers.

With education and accessible contraceptive devices I’m convinced that unwanted pregnancy and abortions will decrease. Given the right’s somewhat puritanical views of sexuality, for many women a pregnancy out of wedlock is very much a scarlet letter and a big enough factor to undergo an abortion.

If the left had its way, a single mother would not have to worry about financial ruin family and social abandonment. And while we are talking about financial ruin … welfare for these women is a liberal concept, yes, even after four weeks of pregnancy.

Matthew Blackham