THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 17, 1994 TAG: 9409160110
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
WHENEVER I'VE used the word ``abortion'' in a column, it has drawn a ton of response. This time, 21 readers responded to last week's column. That's good, but it's no deluge.
The response was pretty even, with 11 blasting me and 10 amens. The gender breakdown was interesting, too. Nine men and two women disagreed, while all 10 of the affirming group were women.
From Richard M. Wade of Norfolk: ``In your column you do exactly what you suggest the Vatican and certain Islamic countries are doing with reference to the Cairo conference: You obscure one issue by shifting the focus to another. By concentrating on women's rights in this discussion, you gloss over the moral issues involved in the abortion debate. . . .
``Current Western liberal thought on social issues is breaking our society down by its reduction of human value brought about precisely by its abandonment of godly morals. Let's not force such a situation on other nations.''
From Gerald Barton of Norfolk: ``How (can you) judge another country's religious beliefs? To some, it is just as taboo to have women `empowered' as it is for them to eat pork. . . . The Mideast religions, and some others, demand that the husband be responsible and decide for his house. If that includes saying `no' to an abortion and/or birth control or other family planning, it is his decision. We must respect (that).''
From Belle Lanier of Southern Shores, N.C.: ``Your column was right on the button. . . . I think many of the men in religious positions of authority are afraid that if the women's equality movement continues and if women continue to make inroads into church authority, then the men are going to loose their jobs and their power. That scares them to death.''
From Larry Pennington of Virginia Beach: ``I will not apologize for the fact that God made me male nor that he - and I do accept the male reference to God as correct - has given me certain responsibilities in this world. Among those responsibilities are to be the head of the wife and to love her as Jesus loved the church. Now, if a husband loves his wife and they agree that they want as many children as God will let them have, then where is the injustice with being `barefoot and pregnant?' Why is it a put-down to be a mother and wife when it was God who established the family and made women perfectly suited for their role in it?''
From Pat Stultz of Norfolk: ``I'm Catholic and I want to tell you that you really exposed the root of the problem. When the Blessed Virgin Mary said, `Be it unto me according to thy word,' in Luke 1:38, she made a choice, but the Holy Ghost had empowered Mary with information before she made this divine decision. Honoring the mother of God, I wish the Vatican would ponder her choice and realize that women make good choices when they are properly educated and informed.
``Christianity began with the product of Mary's choice. Mary saw its unification as she shared her son with the world. For men to empower women, they must cancel their `divide and conquer' concept and entrust some strength to the sex who can change `divide and conquer' into `unite and share.' . . . Personally, I don't think any man is anatomically equipped to dictate reproductive choices for women.''
From Clifton Brewer: ``I seriously object to (the column). I think it's very un-Christian and bigoted. I feel so strongly, I'm going to cancel my subscription to the paper when it expires, if a retraction is not printed.''
From Cheryl Bonneville of Virginia Beach: ``Thank you for calling `the old boys' what they are: scared to death of strong women. And thank God there are men who love and respect strong women. We should honor them in some way.
``I was on the verge of canceling my newspaper subscription, but your article today gives me hope for The Virginian-Pilot.''
From James M. Whiley Sr. of Elizabeth City, N.C.: ``If all men agreed to abdicate all power to women tomorrow, the moral issues would remain. . . . Most women have had and still have a right of choice when it comes to becoming a mother. The fact is, it would be inconvenient to exercise that control. Instead, they rationalize and look for excuses when they have failed to exercise choice in the first place (by using what) nature gave them for purely recreational purposes. They are unwilling to take responsibility for an action they took freely and most of the time willingly.''
From Peggy Noel Bouchard of Virginia Beach: ``I am tired of hearing men infer that the female who finds herself pregnant without 1) a husband and 2) the means of supporting this fetus/child, is to be shamed.
``How did she get pregnant? By having relations with a man! So where's his shame and his loss of grace? . . . Where is the haranguing dialogue about how the men should use restraint? Where is the diatribe against unmarried paternity? . . . I say this: When men are faced with the same options - rape, non-support for children, abandonment - they get a vote. Until then, read your Bibles and keep your pants on and your mouths shut.'' by CNB