I feel compelled to protest Bill O'Reilly's stand on abortion. No man knows, nor will he ever understand, all of the factors that go into a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy.
How many times has he experienced three months of flu-like symptoms, followed by six months of indigestion and inability to manage his body? How many nights has he lain awake worrying that he can't provide for a child that he's carrying and weighing the unborn child's welfare against that of children already in his care?
How often has he worried that the unborn child is going to inherit some lethal disorder that afflicted him or his family? Will a chronically ill child grow to be a burden to his healthy siblings, if not a ward of the state?
For the man who's against abortion, fine; he is entitled to his opinion. He doesn't ever have to experience that abortion. But he is not entitled to stop me if I want to terminate my pregnancy. (And no, I'm not pregnant; I'm the mother of three and well past my child-bearing years.)
Every time I read about another child neglected, abused, or worse, I wonder what kind of advice its mother had before the child was born. Where were all the holier-than-thou pro-life advocates when these children needed help? Did they volunteer to adopt one of the unwanted children and take responsibility for its welfare for 18 years?
Certainly, in a perfect world, no woman would bear a child unless she was ready and able to care for it. Education about avoiding pregnancy would not only be available, it would be heeded.
But the world is not yet perfect, nor will it be as long as people like Mr. O'Reilly try to tell other people how to live their lives.
Harriet V. Harris
West Haven