'An Honor and a Privilege' 

Editor:

Only one in every four women has an abortion during her reproductive life. The most common reasons cited for seeking an abortion are that having a child would interfere with education/work/career goals, would affect the ability to care for other dependents; or would increase financial and/or emotional stress; being reluctant to bring a child into a bad/abusive relationship; or being reluctant to be a single parent.

Abortion has been legal and safe since the 1973 passage of Roe v. Wade. Before then, poor women died as the result of back-alley or self-induced abortions. Other poor women developed infections and became sterile; while wealthy women went to Europe for safe abortions.

The recent passage of Texas' abortion law not only gives license to mob vigilantism when it comes to seeking an abortion. It also criminalizes any abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. And though pregnancy can be diagnosed quite early, a fetus is unable to survive outside the womb until it is at least 22 weeks, and then only with intense medical intervention.

Anti-abortionists seem to see abortion as an easy means of birth control. Clearly the statistics prove that abortion is not used as birth control. And I can speak from personal experience that having an abortion is not easy on a woman's body, mind or emotions.

For these reasons, I chose to participate in the Humboldt County/Nationwide Women's Rally for Reproductive Rights and against the draconian Texas abortion law in Eureka on Oct. 2 (NCJ Daily, Oct. 7). The rally was well attended, attracting about 300 supporters from across the region. 

Thank you to all who attended and the volunteers who made it happen: Rae Robison (publicity/organizer), Sarah Ross, Carol Scher, Megan Hughes, Julie Schlinkert, Grace Driscoll, Marisa Formosa, Vicki Lechuga, Planned Parenthood, and the security team: Meeka, Rick, Suzette, Apryle, Dave, Marshal and Romi.

It was an honor and a privilege to also be a volunteer at the event.

Kathleen Marshall, Arcata