Your Opinion: Abortion arguments prompt response

Dear Editor:

First, apologies to the editor. I know, I stated last week in these pages "I would leave the abortion issue for now." The excoriation directed my way in the Jan. 24 Your Opinion pages simply requires response. So sir, hat in hand I submit a reply to these good readers.

I cannot address each, but Bert Dirschell's thoughts about the Constitution are a starting point. He argues that the 9th and 10th Amendments have been thrown to the wind. He may be right. Federal power has expanded mightily since 1791.

That, however, has absolutely nothing to do with the abortion debate. The 14th Amendment was written because the southern states denied citizenship to the former slaves. The 14th Amendment basically says that you simply cannot deny any person the rights granted by the Constitution. I believe this is an appropriate and proper part of our governing law.

This leads to the second point; does the Constitution apply to females? Yes or no, people, does it or doesn't it? There is no room for equivocation on this question. Females are either fully enfranchised citizens of this country or they are not. If they are not, then they are "something other" than citizens. My answer is "yes." Women are full citizens; it is improper to deny them the same rights as men.

Now, the "anti" crowd will thump their bibles (governing by theology is also specifically disallowed by our Constitution), complain about the immorality of abortion, and try and convince us that woman's rights must be dismissed in favor of that of the potential life. Can I agree that at some point in a pregnancy the fetus should be enfranchised? I can say "yes," but when? Roe v. Wade modified by Casey v. PP is the current best available answer to this question.

One commenter suggests adoption; personally, I reject this. Pregnancy takes a terrible toll on the female's body. I believe it to be immoral to force a woman to undergo that without her full consent and agreement. The arguments that "women can prevent pregnancy" are not worth discussion; theological poppycock.

Back to Dirschell and the Constitution; I do suspect that our founding fathers would be horrified at the current condition of our Republic. The far-right Christians have entered into an unholy alliance with amoral authoritarian politicians. I suspect they would be terrified. I that know I am.