Editor, Times-Union: My maternal grandmother birthed 10 children then soon died. My paternal grandmother birthed three, but had many miscarriages, living only 38 years. Both loved their husbands and families deeply. There was no birth control and abortion was illegal. Many a woman has grieved over miscarriages. If a fertilized egg is given the legal rights of a breathing human being, what kind of additional trials will this new law make for those already suffering? A married woman with daughters told me her husband said she was murdering potential babies if using any birth control. Coincidentally, this continued until she birthed a boy. Another woman asked me how to approach her son’s genealogy interest since he was the result of rape. She agonized over explaining to the 10-year-old, who she said so looked like her rapist. Not wanting to abort the new life, unable to part with her infant, she had no idea the continual suffering this “life choice” would cause. Rape is more common that statistics show. Of those raped I know, only two reported the crime. One spread the word to never report, or endure a so-called “second rape.” An agonized friend told of her abortion due to being an unmarried teacher. At that time, single women faced automatic firing, even when the known unmarried father did not. “But how could I have raised my child without my job?” she forever asked. I know an unwanted second child of four whose aunt insisted the child be taken to the doctor, only to have the mother tell her she would not spend the money hospitalizing her child, even if the child were to die otherwise. Right to what kind of life? Another family birthed a 1-1/2-pound preemie with hospital bills of a million dollars, leaving them bankrupt and homeless. They depend upon the generosity of others, by no fault of their own. A happily married stay-at-home mother of three was recently blindsided by her husband filing for divorce. She was left a single unemployed mother of three preschoolers. Is the pro-life community prepared to nurture children while moms work for basic survival – food, shelter, school fees, clothes and health care for their children? For women that “right to life” is more than a decision made while in early pregnancy. It’s a lifetime commitment. Unless we offer lifetime support, who are we to make pregnancy judgements? Abortion is better decided by a woman with her doctor and clergy, not by the government. Abortion needs to be stopped by ending rape and imprinting in men’s consciousness that no means no. All men cannot be counted on for support the duration of their child’s dependency. Too many “deadbeat” dads do not pay child support. It makes no sense that such a life-changing issue for women could possibly be decided by a government run almost exclusively by men who will never be pregnant. Dee Moore North Manchester
