Unfettered Letters

Family planning prevents abortions

Recently there have been references in the media, including The Star,  to the repeal by President Obama of the gag rule, i.e. lifting the restrictions on federal funding for certain international family planning groups. Some of these references have stated that those organizations “promote” abortion.

All of the last several Republican presidents have implemented the gag rule against any organization that even presents abortion as an option. There is ample evidence that ready access to family planning methods prevents abortions, and it is a pity that anti-choice folks cannot bring themselves to find common ground with pro-choice folks on that basis. It would benefit many if they would.

Susan Fischer
Leawood

Private womb, public assistance

Wombs are private matters (2/13, Letters, “California octuplets”). But when the woman in charge of said womb continues to produce children without any means of support for them, she makes her private decision a public matter, regardless of how many babies are in that womb.

Californians will undoubtedly be caring for all 14 of Nadya Suleman’s children. Nevertheless, public money needs to continue to be spent to educate women and families about all of their options, because once children are here, they are ours. It takes a village …

Bernadine Kline
Liberty

California octuplets

Columnist Ellen Goodman opined that the birth of the Suleman octuplets “is more than an individual decision” (2/8, Opinion, “Case of octuplets shows lack of sense and limits”). Goodman implies that because public dollars may be needed to care for these children, the government should be entitled to regulate the implantation of embryos.

Goodman has previously established her belief that government should not interfere with women’s privacy “rights” to abortion. What twisted logic. If a woman’s womb is a private matter, then her decision to deliver a “litter” is private. On the other hand, if the concern is that tax dollars are going to be spent contrary to Americans’ wishes, then public money should not be used to pay for abortions.

If Goodman is truly concerned about how our tax dollars are being spent, she should be outraged at President Obama’s decision to lift the ban against using tax revenues to procure abortions around the globe. A Gallup poll reveals that only 35 percent of Americans approve of President Obama’s decision to lift that ban.

It is hypocrisy to play the “privacy” and “public money” cards when it suits only one side of a debate.

Kim Wetzel-Williams
Kansas City, Kan.

Nadya Suleman chose to have in vitro fertilization and now has eight more children. I wonder if her unidentified fertility doctor is married. If not, maybe he should consider marrying Nadya to help care for these innocent children.

If he is not available, maybe she should consider adoption. That decision would demonstrate responsibility, maturity and love, which seems to be a huge deficit in this sad scenario.

Susan Hidalgo
Lake Quivira

Family planning important in 64130

The Star is to be commended on the “Murder Factory” articles (1/25,-27, A-1) and the follow-up editorial including a call for family planning (1/28, Opinion).

Teen parenthood is one of the strongest socioeconomic factors locking persons into poverty, highly associated with crime. Children of teens are the most rapidly growing population living in poverty. Funding for family planning is money well spent. A dollar spent on family planning saves $4.02 in public support, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Comprehensive family planning education also is essential to reducing the rate of teen parenthood. Missouri law currently blocks comprehensive family planning education in public schools by Planned Parenthood educators, the nation’s most trusted source of sexuality information. Research has shown that abstinence-only sex education does not forestall teen sex. Access to family planning is important in ZIP code 64130.

Ginny Beall
Board member, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri
Mission Hills

Obama’s stance on abortion

Much has been written about the Lincoln connection to President Obama’s inauguration. Abraham Lincoln said: “Nothing stamped in the divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on.” Aren’t the most defenseless among us, the innocent unborn, stamped for the pursuit of life?

I fear that Obama will shackle us to a culture of death, enslave us by using our tax money to fund abortion on demand and erase the freedom of conscientious objectors to the procedure. During his campaign appearances, he promised “the first thing I’d do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice act.” FOCA overturns pro-life laws in all 50 states, strips away parental involvement rights and nullifies laws on partial-birth abortions.

Many of us are praying that he does not keep that campaign promise, or else a vast pro-life underground railroad will be set in motion. The Lincoln I’ve studied would be horrified at the civil war we continue to fight against the unmitigated slaughter of future generations because we are selfishly enslaved to “choice.”

Martha Couric
Olathe

I have no idea why Tim Geithner chose not to pay $30,000-plus in taxes, but as the newly appointed Treasury secretary, he apparently thinks that was no big deal.

Well, maybe what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander. I think I will conveniently deduct the same amount from my taxable income. Only, I will have a very definite reason for doing so. I do not want my tax dollars spent overseas (or here, either) for family planning (abortion) purposes.

Peggy Fry
Olathe

Just don’t get pregnant

I read what has to be the most ridiculous letter (9/23, “Consider abortion when you vote”). I can answer all of her questions with one simple answer: Quit having unprotected sex and getting pregnant!

If you truly believe it one’s right to get pregnant over and over again when one can’t afford the children one already has, then it is my right as a taxpayer and fellow citizen to tell you maybe it’s time to get your tubes tied. Or maybe find a different way to spend your spare time that doesn’t involve getting pregnant.

And your best question was “What am I to do?” One simple answer: Stop getting pregnant. It’s not rocket science.

Robert Ragan
Overland Park

Teens need birth control info

As a mother of a teenage daughter the same age as Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter, I have to ask, “How did that abstinence talk work for you?” I am pro-choice, and my daughter and I had “the talk.”

Anyone who believes that sex education is not important and that young adults will not engage in sexual activity because we told them not to is not being realistic. Back in the day, when a woman was pregnant, she married because she had to.

Palin is not a role model for my daughters. My girls are aware of the need for contraceptives, birth control and the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy.

Laura Maliwat
Lee’s Summit

Cards for unwed mothers?

Helen Martinez (9/9, Letters) writes that Hallmark’s gay marriage cards are about sinful lifestyles. On Sept. 7, The Star ran article telling that of U.S. children born to mothers under the age of 30, more than 50 percent are born to unwed mothers (Local, “A slow but seismic shift; Most mothers under 30 are unmarried, and the costs to society are huge”).

I don’t suppose Hallmark has any cards specifically for unwed mothers, but it seems that the churches are quite silent about this huge problem while loudly condemning those few who are homosexual. This is probably because the churches are filled with unwed parents or close relatives of unwed parents.

The worst sin of all is the other person’s sin. If it gets close to home, we don’t want to hear about it.

Vernon Hales
Merriam

Missouri abortion bill

Missouri Right to Life applauds the Missouri House for voting to expand the informed consent laws on abortion. HB 1831, sponsored by Rep. Bob Onder, requires that a mother be offered an ultrasound, be informed about her child’s ability to feel pain and be protected from coercion.

It’s difficult to understand how anyone could oppose legislation that allows a pregnant woman to see her baby’s heartbeat or to learn about her unborn child’s development. And certainly no one supports the outrage of coerced abortions.

Missouri citizens would be well served if the Missouri Senate, who will now take up this bill, supports informed choices and protection for women by passing this legislation.

Pam Fichter
President, Missouri Right to Life
St. Louis

To prevent pregnancy, XYZ

The citizens of Kansas, Missouri and the rest of the U.S. have gotten things backward. They keep targeting pregnant women as the focus of their efforts to reduce abortion. What seems forgotten is that the body part that generally causes the pregnancy is not part of the female anatomy. We need a campaign targeted at males that would be low cost, non-intrusive and easy to implement.

How about “Prevent Pregnancy — Keep Your Zipper Up.”

Betty Banner
Manhattan, Kan.