Letters to the Editor: Karen Bass is right, abortion is a local issue

To the editor: Columnist Nicholas Goldberg is too quick to downplay the importance of abortion rights in the Los Angeles mayoral contest.

Yes, after voting ends on Nov. 8, hopefully the right to have an abortion will be enshrined in our state Constitution with the passage of Proposition 1. However, access to abortion and age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education are ultimately decided locally. Budget allocations reflect the values and the agenda of the mayor.

I would rather see an unequivocally pro-abortion mayor than one who blows with the political winds. Remember, all politics is local, and like it or not, the right to an abortion has been made political.

Julia Springer, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: I respect Goldberg and the work he does. However, he cannot be more wrong in asserting that abortion is not the most relevant issue in local elections. Goldberg is a man, and thus he has never had to worry about physically undergoing an unplanned pregnancy because of rape or lack of contraception, or a pregnancy that goes terribly wrong.

He forgets who locally will be called upon by out-of-state officials and litigants to cooperate with them in arresting, prosecuting or suing women who come to our state or communities seeking help.

Women have a fundamental right to make the medical decisions about their own bodies. Without that basic right being recognized and protected, no rights for anyone, including men, are safe from being revoked.

It is therefore essential that we elect to state and local offices people who will do everything in their power to protect our rights. I have not and will not vote for anyone who does not recognize and support women's fundamental rights, or belongs to a party that is led by people who work to revoke those rights.

Patricia Wood, Glendale

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.