Show you care for human lifeI am a 72 year old woman. I am a lawyer. On two Fridays in June, I was told, first by the Iowa Supreme Court and then by the U.S. Supreme Court, that I am too stupid to make decisions about my own body.
I have lived long enough to remember well the pre-Roe era. I know that when a woman decides she needs an abortion — for whatever reason — she will take every step possible. This choice belongs only to her.
I have heard the repeated slogan about the preciousness of the unborn child. What about the preciousness of the born child? The recent $500,000 Iowa legislative appropriation to provide for pregnancy support services does little to meet the needs of a child after birth. A box of diapers does not remotely compare to the 2015 USDA projected cost of $284,570 to raise a child to the age of 17.
If you want to show me that you care for human life — at all stages–then support these actions for a start: 1) universal health care; 2) the $15/hour minimum wage; 3) 26 weeks of paid parental leave; 4) expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act; and 5) increased funding of public schools and daycare for all children. Absent these actions, you are a liar when you claim concern for the unborn — and born — child.
Kay Johansen
Mount Vernon