Letter: Let women decide

Women’s rights of reproductive/sexual healthcare services is under constant attack from politicians and bureaucrats. Abortion is for the woman to decide. Women should not have an arbitrator in the doctor’s office.

Nearly 50 years, Roe V Wade landmark case has protected the right to abortion. Roe is settled law. We may have religious or personal objections, although it is not our decision to make. In American society, women have always seemed to be third-class citizens. Women are oversexualized, battered and often neglected. We live in an over-masculined society.

In 1920, women had the right to vote, in 1948; President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law, allowing women to serve in full capacity in the U.S. military. Women are subjected to workplace violence from their bosses and co-workers, their wages are under assault and now we are trying to steal the confidentiality and privacy for a woman to discuss and make critical life-changing decisions with her doctor.

Nearly 80% of rapes and sexual violence go unreported, The national rape-related pregnancy rate is 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (aged 12 to 45); among adult women an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year (According to the NCBI), including incest.

We should leave our religious and philosophical dogmatic beliefs at the door. Many politicians ask their mistresses to have a abortion and offer hush money to keep them quiet. Then go on the floor and vote against anti-poverty/pro-welfare legislation. While in conservative states; infant mortality rate is high, an underperformed education system and the child poverty rate is high.

Ultimately, women have the final say of their reproductive healthcare. We need to support family planning, safe sex education and the right to birth control.

Terry Brooks

Smith River