Letters to the editor: 'Powerful men' decided Roe v. Wade; how to protect abortion rights
Different view of uproar over 'powerful men'
In a May 8 column in the Beacon Journal, Rex Huppke of USA Today angrily poses this question: “Why do so many powerful men feel entitled to decide what rights women have over their own bodies?” Good question, and that's why the Supreme Court's original decision to do so caused such an uproar that continues to this day.
The Constitution states that powers not granted to the federal government by that document are reserved by the states or by the people. Roe v. Wade did the opposite by letting just a few judges grant a right not found in the Constitution. If the current Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, it will be returning the decision back to where it belongs. Social issues like this should be handled by the people, not the courts. Some activists won't like what the people decide, so they look to sympathetic judges to get their way.
Most of the commentary about abortion seems to be that powerful men shouldn't be deciding things for women. It should be pointed out that great numbers of women are strongly pro-life. Abortion will still be legal in many states.
Robert Umbarger, Munroe Falls
Abortion rights should be in US law
All people, regardless of where we live or what we look like, deserve to be able to make the best healthcare choices for ourselves and our families. The decision of when and if to become a parent is one of the most important decisions many of us will make.
For decades, certain politicians have tried to demonize people who seek abortion care, eliminate access to healthcare providers and restrict and outright ban reproductive care, even as they attack access to contraception, sex education and policies that help parents and children. Now a radically right-wing Supreme Court is about to abolish important reproductive rights — ones that have been in place for 50 years.
Americans want to make their own future, and together we can ensure that all of us, no matter who we are or where we come from, can decide if, when, and how to grow our families. That’s why we must do two things.
• Push Congress to protect abortion rights in federal law — demand your senators get this done, even if it means abolishing the filibuster.
• Elect Democrats, up and down the ballot, who will fight to defend reproductive rights. Get active now and do all you can to assure they win this November.
Suellen Roberts, Fairlawn
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Opinions related to Supreme Court view of abortion rights
