Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

“Life is essential health care” proclaims the unsigned anti-abortion ad that has been appearing each week in The Sundance Times. Of course, the opposite is true: health care is essential to life.

I passionately hope that the unnamed person or persons who are purchasing this advertisement each week are also committed to supporting the lifelong health and wellbeing of our nation’s children. It would be utterly hypocritical to prove our “pro-life” commitment by disallowing abortion but fail to extend the commitment to helping needy families provide in a “for life” way for their children.

Are the anti-abortionists among us committed to electing public officials who will raise taxes in order to pay for a more robust social support system? A social safety net that will assure well-paying jobs for all, free early child care and education and lifelong health care?

It cannot fairly be called pro-life if the concern does not extend to all the needs of our disadvantaged brethren. It’s easy to force a woman to give birth to every fetus; it takes actual “skin in the game,” commitment, love, self-sacrifice, to fund the services that will assure pro-life for each child born.

Ernie Reinhold