ABORTION: Roe is here to stay

ABORTION: Roe is here to stay

In response to Hans Neumann’s letter on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I would like to ask Mr. Neumann what he has done in his life to help women prevent an unintended pregnancy.

Has he advocated for birth control access through family planning funding at the State Legislature? Fought for the expanded coverage in the Affordable Care Act that will make contraception available for free without a co-pay?

If the answer is no to both of these questions, then I would like to ask that Mr. Neumann and others like him please at least be honest with their intentions.

Roe v. Wade is here for good in our country because making abortion illegal would do nothing to prevent abortion and would only lead to the horrific back-alley situation women were in before it was legal.

The truth of the matter is abortion is a complex, private decision that should be left up to a woman, her family and her faith, with the counsel of her doctor. Saying that women choose abortion for “convenience” is a slap in the face to women of all backgrounds and religious persuasions who have made that difficult decision. You do not walk in a woman’s shoes and you do not know what circumstances she is facing in her life.

Instead of shaming and demeaning women, I will be proudly volunteering for Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest this year in Idaho to advocate for women’s health and further enhance our ability to access birth control, sex education and reproductive health care. After all, that can truly help prevent abortion.

LAURA ROSE

Coeur d’Alene