To the editor: I remember when we dared not get pregnant before ready to raise a family because abortions were illegal. Classmates were disgraced when overactive hormones led to pregnancy. Some were whisked away to homes for unwed mothers, and released their babies to unknown families, never to hear from them again. It was so long ago, many have forgotten how hard it was to live in that time. A rape, incest, or pregnancy in an abusive marriage resulted in a child born into a very difficult situation. Family secrets, subtle rejection, or outright abuse resulted.
During the years after Roe vs Wade there was a gradual reduction in the number of abortions. A growing number of parents chose to rear their children, many times as single parents. Poverty and unsupervised children added a burden to family and community well-being. However, spontaneous abortions, ectopic pregnancies and fetal conditions not correctible were widely accepted as needing medically assisted procedures.
How far we have come, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision to let states decide this issue, where partisan control results in a patchwork of laws! In red states there is a serious challenge to an individual’s right to privacy. We were so protective of these rights in the past. Surely this life changing decision should be made by a woman/parents and her doctor!
In some countries Morality Police authorities arrest citizens who go against their religious beliefs. Punishments are harsh. In a freedom of religion country how can we support laws based on one “religious” belief? We say we treasure individual freedoms. Yet we have allowed governmental bodies to decide what women may choose to do with their own bodies. What’s next?
I call on all who value a right to privacy as written in our Georgia Constitution to vote for candidates who will act to support citizens choosing what is best.
Mary Ellen Myers
Alto