Abstinence, adoption rather than abortion

I read Gaylon Alcaraz’s Feb. 21 letter, “Women need access to safe abortion,” and can agree with her on two points.

First, money and greed do encourage dubious characters to take advantage of the poor as evidenced by the location of most abortion clinics near poor minority areas. Second, women will take drastic measures if they are not ready to parent.

A 2008 Illinois Department of Health report shows that 31,162 — 28 percent — of Cook County pregnancies were aborted. By comparison, New York City’s recently released 2009 Vital Statistics report disclosed that 87,273 — 39 percent of all — and 40,798 — 60 percent of non-Hispanic black pregnancies — were aborted. Not surprisingly, 83.6 percent of all women who have abortions are not married. They probably receive little support from father or family and feel left alone. Yet the solution is not more contraceptives or abortion.

I have daughters and I tell them they have great dignity. Any male who pressures them to have sex sees them as an object and does not love them — they are better than that. Sex should be saved until marriage. If, God forbid, an unwanted pregnancy were to happen, then we all have to take responsibility for that baby in the womb.

Gaylon Alcaraz said “Dr. Kermit Gosnell ... is responsible for one woman’s death and the death of seven infants.” If those deaths occurred an hour earlier in the mother’s womb, would they have been aborted fetuses? No, they are live people.

I’ve never met Gaylon Alcaraz. Maybe she loves babies as much as me. Most women want to have children when they have a supportive partner and some security. I wish Gaylon Alcaraz would redirect her wonderful talents and resources to the reduction of premarital sex and the adoption of children instead of abortion.

Mike Smith

St. Charles