Abortion Procedure Banned by Lawmakers

Re “Senate OKs Ban on Abortion Procedure,” Oct. 22: The vote banning “partial-birth” abortions was a mockery. There are serious problems in our country: huge federal and state budget deficits, schools are overpopulated, lack of adequate health care, violence rising and the poverty rate escalating. These are the reasons that the voters elected those in Congress. It infuriates me that they spend their time discussing ethics instead of these issues. Regardless of my personal views about partial-birth abortions, it is not a matter for Congress to decide. Since 1973, it has been a matter for the judicial branch, and should have remained so.

Amanda Goulet

Los Angeles

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Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Planned Parenthood President Gloria Feldt are in a dither about the passage of the partial-birth abortion ban by the Senate. They know that they finally have a president who will sign this bill into law. (It was vetoed twice by President Clinton.) Feldt said “this is Congress criminalizing physician judgment.” Isn’t that its job? Aren’t the lawmakers there to make the laws that criminalize criminal acts? Boxer said, “Don’t we love the women in our lives?” I would have to answer that yes, we certainly do. We love them far too much to offer them the option of killing a baby that has a good chance of being born alive.

This procedure is never medically necessary to preserve the life of a woman, nor is it ever the only medical option open for protecting her health. But Boxer is desperate: “What kind of a country would say to half of the population, ‘We don’t trust you. We think you would choose murder’?” The answer to this one is obvious: We’ve chosen murder 43 million times since Roe vs. Wade became law in 1973.

Sherry Smith RN

Director, Education and

Research, Right to Life

League of Southern

California, Pasadena

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In a rare press conference recently, President Bush was queried about gay marriage. “Well, we’re all sinners,” he shrugged, in his best faux country boy act. When the ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions was passed by the Senate, he said, “We need to build a culture of life in this country.” And the Florida governor, Brother Jeb, signed the “rapid legislative and executive action” for Terri Schiavo, declaring that “people are responding to cries for help, and I think it’s legitimate” (“Florida Gov. Orders Feeding Tube,” Oct. 22).

These statements aren’t random. They represent a plan to obstruct the judicial system, a plan to politicize issues that belong in the province of the courts. If the court disagrees, appoint judges who agree. If that doesn’t work, get talk radio to “bully pulpit” an issue into being dealt with by a hapless Legislature. Woe be to all of us if these zealots are allowed to finalize the Bush Supreme Court.

Forrest Murray

Santa Monica

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Michael Ramirez reached a new low Oct. 23 with “Let’s play doctor

Barbara Gary

Mar Vista