A Good First Step Toward the Right to Life

At the beginning of his Sept. 30 commentary, “Partial-Birth Ban Takes Aim at Right to Privacy,” William Saletan states that “it won’t be the beginning of the end because the public won’t stand for a broader ban on abortion.” My feeling is that Saletan has misjudged the response of the public.

Partial-birth abortion is murder, as anyone who has witnessed the birth of a 5-month fetus can attest. The new law will ban this atrocity. The 30-year debate will continue but, hopefully, this baby step will save many.

I say, as a mother of four children and one baby who was born at five months but didn’t survive, hooray for President Bush for signing the bill that Sens. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) had the fortitude to shepherd through Congress. It is simply the right thing to do, and I hope Saletan’s comments will be the catalyst for action by others who believe in the right to life.

Arleen McCaffrey

Newport Beach