To the Editor:
As someone who remembers both the fright of illegal abortions and the relief of legal ones, I don’t agree that “practicality requires morals.”
In fact, the problem is that the anti-abortion movement has removed all practicality from the debate and has instead inserted morality, an unwelcome and uninvited interloper. This “morality” is merely a substitution for rigid religious beliefs foisted on the rest of us.
It is vitally important to provide education for, and access to, adequate (and judgment-free) family planning for everyone. But when a woman finds herself pregnant without wanting (or being able) to bear the child, she must be given choices appropriate for her situation.
Sherrie Matza
San Francisco, Feb. 22, 2009
Note from KBJ: The letter writer wants "judgment-free" family planning for everyone, but is more than happy to make moral judgments about (1) "the anti-abortion movement" and (2) what women "must" be given. Perhaps if more people were willing to make adverse judgments about women who "find [themselves] pregnant," there would be fewer unwanted pregnancies.
