An open letter to pro-life politicians
Abortion has always been a part of our history and will continue to be so long as men and women roam the earth. The conception of a child is a blessing in most incidents. However, in certain circumstances it can be devastating.
A pregnancy that is forced upon an individual is not a blessing. A pregnancy gone wrong is not a blessing. A pregnancy that is mis-timed, unplanned or not wanted is not a blessing.
Contraception and abortion rights have given women control over the timing of motherhood and have decreased the rate of maternal deaths. (However, the U.S. still has the highest rate of maternal deaths in any developed country. The National Institute of Health reports that states that restrict abortions have higher maternal mortality.)
There was a time when women were barred from higher education. But, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, women accounted for nearly 60% of all college students by 2021-22. The Department of Labor reported in May 2022 that women make up 50.04% of the United States workforce. Women are now an economic driving force.
Because of contraception, abortion rights and child care, women are now astronauts, presidential candidates and nominees, vice presidents, military officers, scientists, CEOs of major corporations, doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, etc.
So how dare you believe women aren’t smart or capable enough to choose what is right for them. How dare you attempt to impose your archaic legislation on West Virginia women based solely upon your chauvinistic brand of religious, moral and ethical philosophies while hanging onto an out of touch political strategy that cares nothing for what women are saying and need.
West Virginia women, we can overcome this — by voting. Vote for individuals who believe you have the right and ability to choose the method of your reproductive health and will not attempt to push you back into the dark ages. My daughter, a lawyer for the federal government, brazenly displays a pin that states, “It is a man’s world unless women vote.”
Nancy Ulrich
Morgantown
If Big Daddy follows the rules, there’s no problem
I would like to know what the safety concerns are for Big Daddy’s gun store opening in Morgantown?
There is nothing wrong with Big Daddy’s doing business in town. It’s the company’s right to open its store, as long as the gun store does all background checks and doesn’t sell to people it thinks may have a mental problem.
People like the ones who signed their names to stop Big Daddy’s are wrong and the gun store should not do business with any of these people. The guns are not the problem — it’s the nuts who get ahold of a gun and they will more than likely get a gun that was not bought legally.
The other problems out there are the drug dealers who have guns they are not supposed to have and known felons who have guns they are not allowed to own. These are the people you have to worry about, not the people who know how to handle a gun in the right way. So people need to stop trying to close a gun store before it opens. If it were their business, they wouldn’t want someone trying to prevent them from opening.
Ralph Correll
Morgantown
Kingwood Pike finally paved. Time for the rest
Our taxes at work — the complete length of the Kingwood Pike has now been resurfaced or repaired. I was very pleased with that result when I’ve driven it recently.
Thank you to all the taxpayers in West Virginia who made that possible. Now my new car will not get as beat up from pothole encounters on that trip.
Sure hope the day will come before I kick the bucket that the Hogback Turn on Brockway Avenue and Holland Avenue in Westover will also be as smooth a trip as the Pike is now.
Crazy as it may sound, couldn’t a road compaction roller be used to flatten the biggest Hogback Turn knobs and bulges, especially on a hot day? Recent super-hot weather in England actually melted the asphalt on a military base there.
As my vehicle hobbles slowly across those awful roadways, I wonder whether the mayors and city managers use those streets. Yes, I know there are also jurisdictional entanglements, but holy cow — let’s fix those too!
Deb Miller
Reedsville
Want to spend surplus? Fix the roads first!
While driving to Preston County last weekend, I noticed there are still many sections of W.Va. 7 made more dangerous due to large holes on the edge of the roadway and heavily used guardrails.
On smaller county roads, in Monongalia and Preston counties, I still see potholes and many layers of patches — ready to become more potholes when winter returns.
I think the $1.3 billion would be better used to fix drainage problems and properly resurface more roads, which have been underfunded for years. Or at least use the surplus to pay down the public debt on the Roads to Prosperity program.
Ben Chorpening
Morgantown
