It’s a woman’s choice
Thank you for printing Ellen Braverman’s letter about being pro-abortion. I’m uncomfortable with the use of “pro” or “anti” relating to abortion because it is so simple to not look at the complete situation when calling a woman who makes a very difficult choice a murderer. My preferred term is pro-choice because when it all comes down to it no one is forcing anyone else to make the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy. It should be the personal medical decision of that woman.
Whatever the semantics (if that’s the correct word?), I agree with Ms. Braverman 100%. I am 75 years of age and remember when not only was abortion illegal, but states could ban contraception before the ruling in Griswold v. Conn., which in part led to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Women weren’t even allowed access to “the pill” to limit the size of their families. Science had moved on, but men still wanted the little women to stay home with all the kids, i.e., keep ‘em barefoot and pregnant. Even with access to birth control and abortion as reported in the Census Report of 2000: “The 1990 to 2000 population increase was the largest in American history. The population growth of 32.7 million people between 1990 and 2000 represents the largest census-to-census increase in American history.” The human race is not an endangered species by any means. Each and every child who is born on this planet should be welcomed with love and stability, which is not the case in many instances.
The Women’s Liberation Movement came about because women were treated like second class citizens, including serving on juries, getting a credit card in your own name, accessing higher education, and receiving equal pay for equal work. Ellen and I both lived through those times in the sixties and beyond.
Pamala Nelson
Buda
