Religious reasons
To the editor:
Whenever I see messages that support or oppose life or death issues, I ask what influential authority supports these messages. Two examples are: “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” And “Abortion is murder.” Then I ask, “what is the rationale for that message?”
The most influential authority who supports the message “Abortion is Murder” is the pope. In a 1974 document titled “Declaration on Procured Abortion,” his proclamation that abortion is murder is made clear by the following excerpts:
1. “That person is a murderer who causes to perish by abortion what has been conceived.”
2. “To prevent birth is anticipated murder. It makes little difference whether one destroys a life already born or does away with it in its nascent stage.”
3. “From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor of the mother, it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. The one who will be a man is already one.”
4. “Life must be safeguarded with extreme care from conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes. One cannot invoke freedom of thought to destroy life.”
It is more believable that the three Catholic justices on the Supreme Court appointed by President Trump overturned Roe v. Wade not for constitutional reasons but for religious beliefs.
For believers, those quotes demolish pro-choice arguments.
Tom Driscoll
Poulsbo
Life’s precious
To the editor:
Many people are expressing anger over the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. I wonder if they really understand what is at stake in this matter — the life of another human being. When did we become so calloused as a society to think that the destruction of another human being was acceptable?
As a former biology teacher, I had difficulty throwing away chicken eggs that failed to hatch on time in the incubator; I didn’t want to disturb their development in case one of them was still alive. Just as that embryo in the egg was a chick just waiting to be hatched, the embryo/fetus in the woman is a baby just waiting to be born.
While an unexpected pregnancy might be a temporary burden for one to carry — or an obstacle for getting a better job — there are other options (adoption, support services) to abortion; we just don’t throw people away. Otherwise, we would be throwing out our teenagers — or our elderly parents — when their lives became a burden to us.
Instead we rise to the occasion, make adjustments in our schedules and become better people for the challenge. We are reminded that a fulfilled life isn’t about serving Me; it’s about helping others who can’t help themselves, and in the process, we discover how precious the “burden” can be!
Heidi Lestelle
Kingston
Gas stations unsafe
To the editor:
New research shows gas stations vent more toxic fumes than previously thought, including Benzene, a known carcinogen, and ozone, which causes respiratory problems and asthma. Even small spills at stations threaten public health as over time, they can add up to significant soil and water pollution.
The EPA says that about half of the 450,000 brownfield sites are contaminated by petroleum with much of it coming from leaking underground tanks from old gas stations, and an EPA study shows 11% of BIPOC people and 14% of those below the poverty level live within a half-mile of a brownfield site.
EVs are the future, and I strongly support any efforts in which Washington state will invest in a healthier future for generations to come, and continue to lead America in a safer more-profitable transition as we tackle Climate Change.
The time for action is now. Let’s get to work Washington!
Arly Crawte
Poulsbo
