Letter: Abortion debate’s roots are in powerful men controlling women

<p><strong>Letter to editor:</strong></p><p>In hopes of getting Roe v Wade reversed by the conservative Supreme Court, a number of southern states have enacted or are considering enacting, a nearly complete ban on a woman’s right to an abortion. The states involved are dominated by Republican legislatures.</p><p>Republican legislatures across the country are dominated by men. When asked, Republican legislators usually cite religious or moral reasons for their attempts to end abortion rights for women. In reality, many do so to to gain votes through an appeal to an electorate that seems capable of looking only backward. Underlying all of their efforts though, is a powerful need for men to control women. It is powerful men reminding women that men are in control and women should remember their &quot;place.&quot; Their &quot;place&quot; of course is to bear children and be subservient to men in all things.</p><p>A child is a lifetime commitment. Nothing so radically and dramatically changes the life of a woman like bringing a child into the world. Usually it is for the better, and the woman finds a fulfillment she never knew before. But in many cases the result for the woman is one of desperation and isolation which can alter her life in destructive ways. That men in power would force a woman to live a life not of her choosing is a flagrant and unconscionable attack on a woman’s right to be her own property, …not the property of the state.</p><p>Republican legislators across the country should know that the day of the woman is not far off. The signs are everywhere. Women make up more than 50% of the electorate, and they are beginning to sense and grasp the powerful political currents that are moving in their favor. What’s more, they are rapidly gaining allies among minority groups who also feel beset by the Republican Party.</p><p>There is a sense of desperation in Republican attempts to hurriedly pass draconian measures against women, as if they realize that power is slipping from their hands and that they are in danger of becoming irrelevant in a rapidly changing world.</p><p><p><strong>Jim Curry</strong></p><p><p><strong>Franklin</strong></p>