Letters to the editor

Another thought on abortion After reading Lynn Poe's letter from the Aug. 7 edition of The Courier, I have another thought on abortion. Yes, it would be ideal if every child born could have a great life. Most often women choose abortion for reasons outside their control — lack of affordable birth control, health issues, or rape. A child's existence isn't a political football! Many in the Republican Party cry over the loss of a life never lived, but that same party doesn't hesitate to stop funding the programs that feed children and gives them healthcare they need. Thus, those children they want to be forced to deliver and raise (without help from the government that insisted they be born) may end up in jail, trafficked, abused or murdered, usually at the hands of a member of the male population. Those precious children would not have had to go through that if those so-called caring people had stayed out of it and let women make their own decisions. Personally, I do not believe in abortion except in cases of incest, rape, or health crisis, but I do believe each woman should have the freedom to make that choice. Even then it should be up to the woman and if they choose to have the child, it's much more likely it will be loved and taken care of, by them or someone else (if put up for adoption). A doctor (and counselor) should always be consulted and if the father is in the picture, he should be allowed to express his opinion, but not make the final decision, it's not his body. If abortion is necessary, it should be allowed to be done in a safe healthy way and place, including follow-up counseling for those who need it. Jodee Paxton Findlay