The following letter by former Beacon Journal staffer Beth Thomas Hertz appeared in Voice of the People on page A8 of Friday’s Beacon Journal. Beth and spouse, David, are both former BJ employees.
Women's advances are
no defense of abortion
As I read the Jan. 17 commentary by the American Civil Liberties Union’s Christine Link ("Roe v. Wade: Thirty-five years on.”) a quote by Mother Teresa entered my mind: ''It·js a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you live as you wish.”
I have heard many justifications for abortion, but the concept of killing unborn children to advance women's socioeconomic status equal to that of men is among the most heartless.
Link stated that access to abortion and contraception is the primary reason women are now seen in greater numbers than ever in classrooms, boardrooms and legislatures.
While I agree that contraception has done a great deal to empower women, abortion is an entirely different matter. Being able to flush a life away purely because you really want that next promotion is the ultimate in narcissism.
Furthermore, if equality between genders is truly the issue when considering abortion, where is a man's right to avoid the lifelong economic impact of an unplanned pregnancy? Eighteen years of court-ordered child support payments await many of them.
Instead of seeing abortion as a means to help women be equal in the modern work force, a far more humane, compassionate strategy would be to advocate for better maternity leave, more part-time and flexible-hour jobs. that include benefits, and better access to affordable child care.
Beth Thomas Hertz
Copley Township
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