Tell Gov. Corbett to Open His Eyes Instead of Telling Women to Close Theirs

We, the undersigned, expect our lawmakers to open their eyes and minds to the hypocrisy and exploitation of women that surrounds issues involving abortion.

Abortion is a complicated issue and one that very few, if any, take lightly. But restricting it does not save lives. Making it illegal does not result in fewer abortions. The World Health Organization reports that the number of abortions is about the same in countries where it's illegal and those where it's legal.

Trying to restrict abortion by shaming women and violating their rights and their right to choose, especially by a government, and particularly one party, that shows no consistent support or respect for human life, reveals the true intent behind these actions - exploitation of an issue for political gain.

Trying to restrict abortion and at the same time failing to support women's access to birth control makes no sense at all, but this is another irony associated with this issue.

Perhaps one of the best essays on the abortion issue is found at the site below, written by Roedy Green, who is against abortion, but is also against forcing anyone to go along with his religious beliefs. His other arguments are very logical and respectful of life and should perhaps be VIEWED by all lawmakers, eyes open, before they pass any more laws regarding abortion. Perhaps viewing this information and similar facts and arguments should be mandated into law, instead of simply bowing to demands of one ideology.
Green concludes, in the end, that the only real way to decrease the number of abortions, which he is in favor of, is to have perfect birth control methods, and he doesn't mean abstinence - or, as some call it, "an aspirin between the knees."
http://mindprod.com/humanrights/abortion.html

Finally, if lawmakers truly want to support life, then they should introduce bills that actually support life and health and end poverty. If they want to reduce abortions, it would help if they supported women who have children. But instead we see women who decide to have children having to leave work, sometimes work necessary to keeping a roof over their heads, with no paid leave, no help with childcare afterward, no healthcare for those children, and sometimes, as in the case of Donecia Venters, losing their jobs just because they want to breastfeed. We see schools, like in New Mexico, shaming a teen who chooses to keep her child, even kicking her out of school.

There are fewer and fewer programs available to help anyone struggling to keep their homes in this ruined economy - ruined by the rich, whom the politicians often work the hardest for - and yet if women decide they cannot afford a child, they are treated more and more like criminals - as immoral - as bad children needing to be taught a lesson, not as women who should have their rights respected.

And yet  politicians and our government make decisions everyday that ruin our health, our food, our soil, our air - decisions that multiply already huge profits of corporations - decisions that kill children in wars or kill them more slowly at home through poverty, poisoned food, air, and water.

When our leaders and lawmakers open their eyes and view the devastating and deadly effects of the many laws they support and instead start making laws that make this a better place for children and new mothers, then, perhaps there will be fewer abortions - by choice.

In the meantime, they have no right whatsoever to tell women what is best for them.

We ask you to consider these concerns and stop pretending to care about life, until you pass and support laws that are pro-life, across the board. And, most important, stop exploiting women for political gain.

Thank you for your attention to these concerns.