Letter: Misguided views on control of one's body

On Feb. 5, 1994, at the National Prayer Breakfast, Mother Teresa stated "I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, ..." In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II warned that we are in danger of becoming a "culture of death." He stated that in approving abortion and euthanasia, we are denying human dignity and may "revert to a state of barbarism.

I submit that we are in that state - at a time when abortion is accepted by society at large.

I find myself quite saddened by those who claim that they have the right to do what they want with their bodies. I am equally saddened by misguided politicians such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker who state that they will defend "reproductive rights." Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has even remarked that women should come to Illinois, where their needs will be met.

Let us clarify something. Life and reproduction are gifts from God. They are not "rights." Life is not to be taken lightly, thrown away as an inconvenience, rather it is intended to be nurtured and loved. God gave us freedom, but not the power to determine right and wrong. That power belongs to God.

Those who want control of their bodies must take responsibility for the possibility of conception when engaging in intimate sexual activity. Abstinence is a choice without negative consequences. It eliminates the potentially dangerous physical aftereffects and emotional trauma related to abortion. Abstinence is a sign of respect for the dignity of a woman.

Sharon Kostel

Elgin