Editor,
I want to thank Claire Rietmann-Grout for confirming my previous statement that there is no middle ground between the two sides of this issue (“Roller coaster week for women’s rights” guest perspective in the June 29 edition of the Daily Journal).
She is obviously in the camp which believes that only the pregnant woman should be making the decision. She even states that “abortion is health care.” That is certainly true if the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life. However, I doubt that those who believe that life begins at conception would use the term “health care” to describe the effects of an abortion on the fetus.
At this point, neither side is willing to listen to the other side or acknowledge their point of view. Until that happens there will be no progress. By the way, if you believe that abortion is a woman’s right, instead of protesting, why aren’t you working to establish Planned Parenthood clinics on Indian Reservations throughout the country.
Steven Howard, MD
Redwood City
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(6) comments
Unfortunately, Dr. Howard, hysterical screeching from “abortion is a woman’s right” folks who don’t understand our system of government attempting to impose their point of view does not lead to middle ground. If they can live with that, I guess I can, too, but those aborted babies can’t.
Revealing word choice, Terence Y. Hysteria comes from the Greek hysterikós, which means “suffering in the womb". It is often used as you use it, as a gendered insult. Hysterical is used most often in reference to women, and that most of the female-tilted uses of hysterical refer to actions that are negative in connotation or meaning.
Are you okay with having more rights to the usage of your body parts after you are dead than a woman has to hers while she is living?
Of course there is a middle ground: if you are against abortion, don't have one. And if you are capable of impregnating someone, get a vasectomy.
Vasectomy? Why? The decision is hers. The father has no standing, except for child support,, which is a discriminatory farce that contradicts itself.
The decison is now not hers in every state. It depends on what state she lives in whether she can get care. If you impregnate someone and she has no option to abort, you are risking her life, not to mention her career and future. So get it in writing that she wants to be pregnant or get a vasectomy.
Under Rowe the decision was hers. Still is in the states that allow abortion. I like "get it in writing." Might give enough time to cool down and put your pants back on.
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