Abortion is the woman's decision

Ellen Butler in her letter of Nov. 4, declares that abortion is not a religious issue, but rather it is a moral issue inasmuch as HB 40 supports the taking of a life by approving abortions.

I have a different viewpoint. I simply believe that we are faced with balancing interests here. When a woman is pregnant, there are two interests involved that need to be balanced against each other. One interest is that of the fetus which is within the body of the pregnant woman, and the other interest is that of the pregnant woman who is carrying that fetus within her body.

My own viewpoint is that when we balance these two interests against each other, the interest of the woman who is carrying that fetus within her body should prevail over that of the fetus which has not even exited the womb yet.

This is not a religious or moral question. Rather it is simply a question of balancing two competing interests, and in my opinion the unborn fetus should not prevail. The pregnant woman is carrying the burden of that unborn fetus within her body, and let her interest prevail. If she wishes to have an abortion, I would strongly approve of that decision. It is her decision to make, not mine or yours.

Theodore Utchen

Wheaton