Abortion is sad, but it should be available

Regarding "Do Liberals Take Pride in Abortion?" (Oct. 2 letters): Abortion is as old as the hills and, just like prohibition of any kind, laws prohibiting it will not end it. There always have been and always will be women who wish to end a pregnancy for one reason or the other.

No one is "proud" of abortion, no one campaigns for women to have abortions. That is ridiculous and used to avoid the real issue, what liberals are proud of: that Roe v. Wade eliminated back-alley abortionists and wire hangers and drinking lye and slow, painful death for women who had no legal alternatives.

It is very sad when a woman decides for whatever her personal reason that she needs to end a pregnancy; no one disputes that. The right-to-choose movement does not advocate abortion, it advocates for the availability of medically safe abortions.

My questions for those who oppose abortion and who say they are pro-life: How many children carried to term by women who would prefer otherwise have you adopted? How many funding assistance programs for those who need help (a segment of the population that is growing by leaps and bounds) have you opposed?

Do you support the death penalty? Do you support the war in Iraq, which has killed thousands of men, women and children? Both fly in the face of your sanctity-of-life arguments.

Why should your religious beliefs opposing abortion be imposed on those of us who disagree? You don't want an abortion, don't have one. Frankly, you have no right to tell anyone that she cannot, just because it offends you.

NANCY WINTERS
Apollo

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Proud of privacy

In answer to letter writer E.A. Svirbel ("Do Liberals Take Pride in Abortion?" Oct. 2): Somewhere there is a woman who is pregnant, who is thinking of terminating her pregnancy. I am not her. I am not living her life. I don't know anything about this woman. How dare I presume to tell her what is right for her, her family or her life? Those are private matters, and none of my business. Whatever she decides, it is that woman who will have to live with her decision, not me.

What makes conservatives feel qualified to impose their beliefs on this woman? They will not feed or clothe the child once it is born, and heaven forbid, the mother might have to apply for public assistance. Too often, conservatives' compassion is only for the unborn, never the already-born.

What of the scenario before abortion was safe and legal: women dying in pain, from procedures performed by unlicensed practitioners in unsanitary conditions? I guess those women don't matter. Perhaps conservatives believe that these unfortunate women deserve to die (I hope not).

So, yes, I am proud -- I am proud that liberals stand for the right of individuals to be left alone in making their most private, personal decisions. I would like to know, however, how conservatives square their constant railing about the "nanny state" with their equally constant desire to meddle in this most private area of other people's lives.

DIANA SLIVINSKA
Ingram

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Reject cronyism

Regarding the Sept. 30 article about Pat Ford, the new executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority ("Brash Change in Style for URA"): If I ever had any doubt about Luke Ravenstahl, the young mayor, having lost some of his luster since his beginning, the article about Mr. Ford, the mayor's choice for a series of city posts, has certainly removed it.

What a revolting description of city governance -- Mr. Ford trying a variety of ways to help a developer evade the expense of a sprinkler system; Mr. Ford at odds with the chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission for protecting the interests of a city neighborhood. Does anyone on the mayor's staff see public safety and public interest as having as much merit as business/money interests?

The cronyism implicit in circulating Mr. Ford through more and more responsible positions (as well as his wife, for pity's sake) is a signal of cronyism at its worst. Supporting people who will do what you say rather than people who will advise from a position of competent expertise is anathema to good government.

We have an overabundance of these behaviors in the Bush administration, which has never seen an ideological, political or money interest it will not satisfy at the expense of public health, safety and well-being. We need something different locally -- good governance rather than more of the same self-serving brashness demonstrated at the federal level. Cigars and scotch, indeed.

HARRIETTE CARLISLE
Shadyside

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Punishes the young

Pittsburgh's struggle to attract and retain youthful residents is often highlighted and well-documented. State Sen. James Rhoades' plan to increase the income and sales taxes ("Pa. Tax Plan Shifts Burden to Consumers, Wage Earners," Sept. 27) will make that struggle much more difficult. The proposed 10.19 percent sales tax and 4.36 percent income tax, added to already onerous local income tax burdens, would make Pittsburgh an unattractive locale for everyone who makes or spends money.

These taxes hit young people especially hard because they will be stuck with the higher taxes without receiving any of the savings, as young people are more likely to be renters and will not benefit from any property tax reduction. I'm a student at an out-of-state university, and I would like to return to Pittsburgh after I graduate. But the Pittsburgh region's extraordinarily high income and sales tax rates render making the decision to return that much more difficult.

When educated, mobile young people are deciding between, say, Pittsburgh and Seattle (where there is no city or state income tax and the sales tax is lower than 10 percent), the Pittsburgh region's high tax rates make it that much less competitive.

If state policy-makers are really concerned about attracting and retaining young people, they should avoid an unfairly burdensome tax system that pushes them away.

JUSTIN KIDD
Berkeley, Calif.

The writer is from Squirrel Hill.

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Help for Conneaut

Since living in the Conneaut Lake area three years, I meet so many people here who are from Pittsburgh. They love this area and especially love Conneaut Lake Park.

As a native Pittsburgher, I too have a lifetime of memories from Conneaut Lake Park, and I was very sad to see the park closed this year.

But you can help. Go to conneautlakepark.com or conneautlakeinstitute.org to see what you can do to save this treasure.

You can enjoy one weekend at the park this year. From Oct. 12 to 14, the 17th annual Pumpkin Fest will be held in the park. Please keep the memories going and help save Conneaut Lake Park.

SUZAN ANTON
Meadville

The writer is vice president of the Conneaut Lake Area Business Association.

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Deer vs. development

John Demain ("Deer Displaced," Oct. 3 letters) took the words right out of my mouth! It always amazes me that people complain about the deer coming onto their property, yet we are robbing them of their homes.

Where do we expect these animals to go when we continue to cut down the trees and replace them with buildings? Don't we have enough shopping centers?

I have seen so many pieces of land that aren't built upon with "For Sale" signs on them. If I could, I would buy every piece of beautiful land and just let it be. When will we stop?

NANCY ORONS
Marshall

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Pittsburgh, do something to protect your assets

Mayoral candidates, City Council don't miss this opportunity. I read with interest "KaBoom! Playgrounds Built in a Day" (Sept. 30). Don Boggs, observing the construction of the playground in Spring Garden, is quoted saying, "It's nice they're doing this, but I'd be amazed if it lasts more than six months."

As the mother of two young children and as someone who is committed to Pittsburgh, there is nothing more frustrating than watching the good that is put in place and then abused: burned-out slides, missing swings, broken glass, daily trash, closed swimming pools and the adjacent park's sprinkler and water fountain down for the entire summer. And there's the graffiti. "What's that word, Mommy?"

New York City has some terrific playgrounds. It also has fences around them with an ordinance that reads something like, "If you are not accompanying a child under the age of 8 [or appropriate age level], it is unlawful to enter." These little safe havens should be just that -- and no child at this vulnerable age should have to fall victim to growing up too fast because of a few punks. They win territory and get to scare off the biggest possibility for the city of Pittsburgh: young families with children.

I love Pittsburgh. There are plenty of wonderful families who want to stay and enjoy its benefits. Please look to other cities for solutions. More staffing is too expensive. Instead, spend money up front and attract new families to the city by protecting these hard-won assets.

MARY ANDERSON HARTLEY
Lawrenceville

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We receive more letters than we can fit into the limited space on the editorial page, so we'd like to share some additional letters with our Post-Gazette Web site readers.

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Mr. Ravenstahl, you are not the average 27-year-old

I am appalled by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's ending quote in the Oct. 4 article "Mayor Defends Use of Police Vehicle." At the end of the day Mayor Ravenstahl is not the average 27-year-old -- he is the mayor of a major city. He has accepted the duty to serve the citizens of Pittsburgh and should act like a man who is devoted to the improvement and well-being of the city of Pittsburgh.

If he wants to "go to concerts" and "have a drink with his wife in bars" then I suggest he resign from his post and do what "27-year-olds do."

ANNA LINGERIS
Washington, D.C.

The writer is a 26-year-old public relations professional who is from the Pittsburgh area.

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Many life issues

I am replying to E.A. Svirbel questioning whether liberals are proud of abortion ("Do Liberals Take Pride in Abortion?" Oct. 2). I'm a liberal and I am proud that women are able to make this personal decision themselves. I'm not, and don't know anybody else who is, pro-abortion. I am pro-choice, believing it is a woman's right to decide what happens to her body.

A CBS/New York Times poll conducted Sept. 4 to 9 revealed only 25 percent of respondents believe abortion should be unavailable. For the majority then, the real argument is under what circumstances abortion should be available and who should make the rules. I believe the woman affected is the best person to make that decision, not legislators or a minority population imposing their moral standards on others.

Why are conservatives more concerned about regulating personal behavior (e.g., abortion, gay marriage and Terri Schiavo) than regulating businesses that have repeatedly proved they will make decisions beneficial to their bottom line, regardless of the consequences? Conservatives don't like taxes or business regulations, which is the only way to ensure that our workers, food and products are safe. If Ms. Svirbel is so worried about protecting life, what about protecting those already born who have died from tainted food, unsafe products or inadequate worker safety?

Yes, I'm proud to be a liberal who supports personal choice and protecting lives by regulating industry and providing social programs to help, among others, those moms who choose not to have abortions even when their circumstances make that choice very difficult.

JENNIFER BOERIO
Moon

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Proud to be pro-choice

Are liberals proud of abortion? This is the question posed by E.A. Svirbel in the Oct. 2 letters to the editor. Speaking as one liberal, no, I am not proud of abortion. But I am proud to be pro-choice.

I recognize that abortion is sometimes necessary, and I understand that the debate about abortion is about the procedure's legality, not the procedure itself, and not questions of one's own sense of morality. Everyone has the right to opinion, but opinion cannot affect the legal right of women to make their own private medical decisions.

And of the unalienable right to life Ms. Svirbel so pompously holds up as alleged support for the anti-choice movement, what of the women who will die if they continue a pregnancy? What of murdered clinic doctors? Have they no right to life? And what of the fact that when the Declaration of Independence was written, abortion hadn't been criminalized? What of the fact that the only reason abortion was criminalized in the mid-1800s was to protect women from a then-unsafe procedure?

There are myriad reasons that a woman might have for terminating a pregnancy, which is something that apparently only liberals understand. I don't find this surprising. After all, the ability to empathize and to allow others to make their own decisions are traits that are decidedly and wholly liberal.

AMANDA HEMPEL
Forest Hills

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What you should know about health care

APPRISE counselors must be knowledgeable about many aspects of health care. They must understand the Veterans Affairs system, Medicare, Medicaid and the federal employees system. The VA is the only one that is truly socialized medicine. The government employs all of the doctors, nurses and technicians, and the government owns the hospitals and other facilities. In certain areas they are excellent.

The Medicaid system is very complicated and there are many injustices within the system. Both the Medicare and federal plans are excellent. The federal plan covers government employees. The government is the largest employer in the country. Your senators and Congressmen are covered by it. They seem very happy with it, but do not want to share their good fortune with us.

Medicare covers the two groups of our population who use the most health care, the elderly, many with chronic illnesses and that expensive final illness, and those on disability. Medicare, Medicaid and the federal system are the most efficient. They supply good health care through contracts with private providers. To pay for it, we would have to take all of the insurance premiums we now pay to the health insurance companies, cut that amount in half, and we would still have money left over.

That is how much the insurance industry is gouging us and giving us a subpar system. In next year's elections, vote for those who are going to give us a true health-care-for-all system and not an insurance-for-all plan.

BARBARA DICKMAN
Delmont

The writer is a counselor with the state-run APPRISE senior health-care counseling program.

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