Abortion Needs to Remain Legal
By: Judy A. Carbone, chair, Garrett County Democratic Central Committee
Published in The Garrett County Republican
As an educated woman and life-long Democrat, I was enraged by last week’s letter titled “Overboard on Abortion” which was full of lies, including its slandering of Democrats.
According to the letter, the Democratic platform “explicitly endorses the practice of abortion for all nine months.” This is simply not true. In “Securing Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice” and “Protecting Women’s Rights,” there is a statement that says “Like the majority of Americans, Democrats believe that every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health-care services, including safe and legal abortion.” There is no statement supporting late-term abortions, and only a tortured reading of the platform would characterize the Democratic position as did the letter.
The Democratic platform also states, “We recognize that quality, affordable comprehensive health care, evidence-based sex education, and a full range of family planning services help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.” Democrats want to reduce the number of abortions just as most everyone does.
Since Roe v. Wade, the number of abortions has fallen dramatically, currently at the lowest level since 1973. This is because of Democratic-supported policies that support the destigmatization of abortion, access to effective contraception, and the inclusion of birth control in comprehensive health-care plans. This reduction in the number of abortions is because of Democratic candidates and voters who trust and respect women to make their own reproductive health-care decisions and who speak out against the untruths promoted by the letter.
The letter’s author needs to be educated on the reality of abortion law in this country and the fact that 75% of voters support safe, legal abortions. The Republican talking points in the letter are designed to appeal to a far-right base who seeks to vilify women who are making the most heart-wrenching decisions of their lifetimes, and they need to stop. Democratic-supported programs that have decreased the number of abortions merit bipartisan support. Bottom line is that abortions are currently legal, they are safe, and they need to stay that way.
The letter is also wrong about Neil Parrott, who believes in draconian limitations to a woman’s legal right to choose. While he promotes himself as a “pro-life” champion, he also advocates for policies that give husbands a pass in cases of spousal rape, make pre-K education not publicly available, exclude pre-existing conditions from insurance coverage, require HIV/AIDS victims to be forcibly tattooed, prohibit people from legally marrying whomever they love, allow certain hate symbols, and force conversion therapy on our young LBGTQ+ citizens. Do those appear to be positions that value all lives? No, they do not.
Democratic Congressman David Trone is the far better representative for Western Maryland and far more effective legislator for his constituents with a proven track record of results for Garrett Countians.