Supreme Court on Abortion

What concerns me as a woman, a voter, a mother, and an educated citizen is that the polarization of this issue is increasing every time I hear the rhetoric of either side. We must, as cooperative and constructive women, come to some understanding regarding reproductive choice. And stop assuming if one is pro-choice she advocates abortion under any circumstances; this just isn’t true. We must also stop assuming that if one is pro-life that she advocates giving birth under any circumstances. These are polarized, radical ends that separate women into two camps.

I am a mother, and I have had two abortions, one before my son and one after. The circumstances for all three pregnancies were different, yet one thing was the same--all of the fathers didn’t help me or stay with me or marry me. So it then became “my” choice. Before you deny a woman the right to be or not to be a parent, you must deal with all of the men who had either choice and still do (and acted) irresponsibly.

C.L. SCHULTHEIS

Long Beach