Readers React: Antiabortion voters are disgusted by Trump too. Democrats need to reach out to them

To the editor: Democratic politicians should consider 2012 Obama campaign official Michael Wear’s op-ed article regarding their stance on abortion and Roe vs. Wade.

Most voters and virtually all Democrats, I think, do agree that abortion should remain “safe, legal and rare.” But many voters who are sickened by President Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress are compelled by their religious beliefs to fervently and absolutely oppose abortion.

If 2018 is to be the year of the “blue wave,” Democrats would be wise to soft-pedal on the abortion debate, at least for now. There are too many other important issues at stake to let this one topic take center stage.

David Williams, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: Abortion is not so much a pro-choice or a pro-life issue as it is about women’s autonomy.

Democrats do agree with Bill and Hillary Clinton that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.” To that end, women should have information freely and widely available to practice family planning and be able to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Even now in this country, I still meet women who never heard of the morning-after pill. When was the last time we had public announcements about pregnancy prevention? We should all strive to make family planning a universal right for all women around the world.

Donna Handy, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: Wear is right that Democrats should not focus on a single issue, like abortion rights, during the confirmation hearings of federal appeals court Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Abortion is certainly a big issue, but not the only one in these hearings.

Kavanaugh believes, evidently, that a sitting president should not be investigated or indicted for anything. This belief says the president is effectively above the law, which is ludicrous. Kavanaugh is telling us he would not vote to require Trump’s compliance with investigators should the matter come before the Supreme Court.

What more do we need to know about Kavanaugh? And when will we stop using the terms “pro-life” and “pro-choice”? How about “pro-choice” and “anti-choice”?

Marlene Bronson, Los Angeles

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