Unwed Parents

I thought it very curious that Ronald Brownstein’s “Unwed Pregnancies, a Midwife of Poverty, Are Battled From Right, Left” (Oct. 25) did not couple “unwanted” with “unwed,” considering the social ills to which he was referring.

A substantial number of women have chosen to have children outside marriage, and many of these women are well prepared economically and psychologically to raise a child or children. There are also many gay and lesbian couples, prevented from legally marrying, who have had children by various means. Unwed pregnancies that are unwanted are a tragedy for everyone involved, particularly the children, but most people I know no longer equate “married” with “only people suited to be parents.”

JANIS HASHE

Los Angeles