Re: 'Pro-Life is a killer' [Village News, Miller Letter, 12/19/19]

In earlier times facts were considered the basis for argument, rather than being dismissed as “crazy.” But my real concern is with the so-called Pro-Life movement that has become the Forced Birth movement. The U.S. is unique in the developed world in that our infant mortality and maternal mortality rates lately have been going up, rather than down, “thanks” to Forced-Birth’s success in shutting down women’s reproductive health care facilities.

The subject letter presents a lame argument for adoption versus abortion. To survive in today’s economy, the majority of women of child bearing age must work. And for a single woman that often means her paycheck is all that stands between her and homelessness.

And the old: “why don’t you use contraception?” Who says they don’t? No contraceptive is 100% effective. And why do you expect teenagers to use contraception when most sex-ed classes teach abstinence? When hormones rage, “Never!” becomes “Well, just this once.” And no contraceptive to be had.

Regarding Partial Birth Abortion: ‘this method can be used only when necessary to protect a woman’s life or in case of a ‘serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.’” It constitutes only 1.3% of abortions performed. Remember the key point: performed only when necessary.

I was disappointed to see an attempt to revive the disproved myth that abortion leads to mental illness. Google “abortion mental illness” and you’ll find numerous articles that rebut that myth, some dating back to 2006.

And why do Forced-Birth advocates bring up Margaret Sanger? Fact: Sanger was not a proponent of abortion. What she was a proponent of was the eugenics program that was popular at that time, the one that Hitler modeled his program after. But before casting stones, keep I mind, she was in “good” company, including President Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch supporter and Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was an advocate of compulsory sterilization and served as chairman or president of several eugenics organizations.

John H. Terrell