Howard letter: Abortion
Women seeking to terminate a pregnancy will do so, legal or not. Those attempting to deny them the legal right to seek a safe medical abortion must assume equal responsibility for any complications arising from illegal alternatives (whether medical, legal or psychological).
Most everyone agrees that any alternative is preferable to abortion. However, freedom of choice is foundational to American democracy and liberty. It’s the very reason this nation was founded by puritans fleeing theocratic religious oppression. I would no more attempt robbing someone of the legal right to choose a safe medical procedure than I would attempt forcing my Christian religion on them.
If the main reason you vote at all concerns the unborn, you do so at the expense of all other critical needs facing this nation. History clearly indicates that the real beneficiaries of prolife politics are weak candidates, not the unborn.
Faith and reasoning are polar opposites. That’s the primary reason America’s founding fathers made sure to separate church and state. When voting, if we disregard basic reasoning to elect weak candidates who’ve learned to exploit religion, we cripple democracy. You couldn’t find a more graphic example of this scenario than the current POTUS…
Michael Howard, Boise
This story was originally published September 4, 2017 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Howard letter: Abortion."