To the Editor:

Just because the Roe vs. Wade decision has been struck down by the Supreme Court does not mean that it will eliminate abortions. It only means that many abortions will be relegated to unhealthy self-attempts or back-alley butchers, which was the case prior to Roe.

Republicans have always been champions of freedom of choice and less government regulations and interference with personal rights–except when it comes to a woman’s choice as to whether to maintain an unwanted pregnancy.  The argument that Republicans used against Roe was that it should be up to the states–“State’s Rights”–to decide. However, now some Republicans are calling for a federal ban on abortions. Such inconsistencies! 

There was a recent case of the 10 year old Ohio girl impregnated by rape. She had to go to Indiana to terminate the pregnancy. The first response by state Republicans was to deny that this happened. Jim Jordan even called it a “hoax”–“another lie.”  Once they learned that it was in fact true, they claimed that she could have had the abortion in Ohio. But the current extremely restrictive Ohio law is so unclear, no physician would be willing to chance losing his/her credentials and livelihood. The anti-choice folks just don’t want to deal with the reality of the situations.

Republicans are all focused on the current economy.  However, the economy fluctuates and gas prices may come down and the Dow can rebound.  But anti-choice legislation becomes more permanent.  Republican lawmakers have already introduced a bill to ban all abortions from the point of conception. JD Vance is on record favoring a total ban on abortions with no exception. He even considers an unplanned pregnancy as just a “mere inconvenience.” 

The recent vote in the conservative state of Kansas indicates that a majority of citizens favor a woman’s choice over government restrictions.  We must elect legislators who favor a woman’s choice for a legal and medically sound abortion, or we will return to dangerous self-inflicted attempts and back-alley butchers.

Philip W. Compton
Bluffton, Ohio