LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Democratic answer

Editor, the Journal,

Mr. Anvik recently posed questions to Democrats regarding abortion.  One caused me to seriously ponder. He asked that since half of aborted fetuses are female, if not aborted by law and grown to womanhood, how would they feel about abortion? Interesting question. 

If they knew they were unwanted, it would likely have an undesirable impact on the relationship with the birth mother and increased likelihood of other emotional issues throughout life. Child psychologists suspect children born to a women forced to carry an unwanted baby would be subject to negative factors even in the womb and at an increased risk of both physical and psychological problems once born. 

It is certainly another scenario that the strong maternal instinct prevails and the woman learns to love and want the baby. That would be wonderful.

Knowing they were wanted or not, I believe as adults, most of these women would still want to have the choice to control what happens with their bodies and their lives and not be owned by the state.

J. Anderson, Shelton

Get your facts right

Editor, the Journal, 

Bill Busacca, I understand what you are saying, but please get your facts right. “Machine Guns,” automatics, which mean many bullets expelled per trigger pull, are indeed weapons of war and are not sold to the public. The AR-15’s are not “machine guns.” They are semi-automatic rifles; they expel only one bullet per trigger pull. AR stands for the company Armalite, not automatic rifle. Yes, mentally ill people use guns to kill, as they use knives, baseball bats, bombs, even vehicles.

I support background checks, and even some red flag laws, if they are initiated with proof, and not a neighbor “getting back” at another neighbor. Any time you legally buy a gun, it is registered. I do not support gun registration. Every dictatorship from Hitler to Venezuela became such by first requiring its citizens to register their guns, then they confiscated them.

Also, at no time would the law subject a woman to carry a dead baby, or ectopic pregnancy as some claim. That would subject a woman to sepsis and death, and not considered abortion. Extremely rare that a horribly deformed baby lives beyond the first trimester, and is usually miscarried or discovered very early.

Your generalizing all pro-lifers is also typical. While we abhor abortion, the life of the mother must be considered. Most of us understand politics and will sadly compromise. With very early detection tests, most abortions can be performed before heartbeat detected. That’s all we ask. Later term should be on a case by case determination. It is a rare pro-lifer that objects to birth control. That would be counter productive. As for the crowded earth, surely you aren’t suggesting abortion as a means to control population. Are we playing God now, determining who has the right to live?

Katie Groves , Shelton

Misinformation

Editor, the Journal, 

A recent letter on guns and birth Control is so full of factual errors that I must respond. The writer is either not familiar with the basics of firearms, birth control, and the U.S. Constitution, or more likely, just spewing disinformation on these topics.

First, the writer equates an AR-15 to a machine gun and implies that machine guns need to be eliminated. Well, news to the writer, fully automatic firearms (machine guns) that fire more than one round with a single trigger pull are severely regulated and basically outlawed. An AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle, those that fire a single round with each trigger pull. Semi-automatic firearms are owned by almost all gun users and are used for a variety of purposes. The AR-15 is a model with some customization, but the basics are still of a semi-automatic rifle.

Second, the writer has apparently no concept of rights under our U.S. and state constitutions. There is no enumerated right to be a dentist, thus government can place requirements such as licensing and background checks to have the privilege of practicing as a dentist. The right to be armed is strongly and explicitly stated in both the U.S. and Washington state constitution. Would the writer also call for the government to regulate individuals with licenses, background checks, permits, etc. of the enumerated rights of assembly and free speech, or maybe for voting?

Finally, the writer must have failed basic human biology and have no knowledge of the pro-life movement when he spewed his declaration that any birth control is not supported by people opposing abortion. I have been involved in the right-to-life movement for many years. I have never heard anyone opposed to birth control prior to conception; for the writer, that is when the egg and sperm join to form a unique human. The most commonly used birth control methods affect either the female or male gamete, not the human embryo or preborn baby.

Serious discussion on these and other important issues cannot take place in an environment of misinformation.

Robert Gay Rogers, Shelton