Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

When authoring letters to be published, it is wise to abide by at least one tenet: Use due diligence with regard to statistical data, quotes and Bible verses to assure reasonable validity of your information and relevance to your topic.

After all, your name is on it.

Jan Tucker’s offering in The Call May 16 warns of “the coming judgment” because of legal abortion in the U.S.

This is obviously an opinion based on religious belief, but not documentable fact. Tucker offers percentages with regard to abortion in New York state but relates no comparable data for other states or the U.S.

The implication: New York is Sodom and Gomorrah combined. But according to the Guttmacher Institute, one in four American women, or 25 percent, will have had an abortion by age 45 years — a statistic reflective of the New York abortion rate.

Tucker also “recently heard” that New York was expanding its abortion limits and that “members of the New York General Assembly cheered when the current bill passed.”

What bill? When did it pass? How did it affect abortion? Why did members cheer? What is your source for this information? All good to know to support validity. Tucker also cites 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Galatians 6:7-8 to support his/her contention(s), but these Bible verses do not address abortion.

A quick check of the Bible would have revealed this fact.

Regarding abortion: If, for religious or other beliefs, you don’t wish to terminate your pregnancy, then don’t. But don’t force others to abide by your beliefs.

Michael K. Broughton
Green Park

Editor’s note: Mr. Broughton is a Green Park Ward 1 alderman.