Re: 'Questions needing answers' [Village News, Stanley letter, 9/22/22 ]

I will refer to the author of the subject letter as “author.” The author requested me to sit this one out, but alas, duty calls. I’m pleased to announce, though, that no unicorns were harmed in the production of this letter. And I promise not to mention men who get pregnant.

To the author, apparently you were unaware of the following:

1. The majority of abortions now are chemical (or medical) abortions, not surgical.

2. “According to a 2018 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, abortion is safer than childbirth, colonoscopies, dental procedures, plastic surgery, and tonsillectomy,”

3. Murder is the intentional killing of a person. A fetus is not a person, any more than a chicken egg is a chicken; therefore abortion is not murder. At most, the fetus is a potential person that may not live to see the light of day, given that about one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth. A fetus's only value is that set by its possessor.

4. “Texas continues to have one of the highest state rates of teens giving birth (girls and women ages 15-19)” (reported by KHN, 9/0/22). It’s no coincidence that Texas schools that do teach sex ed teach abstinence only and have done so for the past 20 years. Unfortunately, Texas isn’t the only state with an ignorance problem.

The author says: “We are told that Social Security is nearing bankruptcy.” That depends on who you’re listening to. The Social Administration says: “...benefits are now expected to be payable in full on a timely basis until 2037.” [15 years from now]. Known methods, such as increasing the payroll tax and increasing retirement age, can be used to provide funding until 2097. [75 years from now]. That should provide sufficient time to figure out what to do next.

The notion of running an agency that provides essential services like a business is basically a terrible idea. The sole business directive is to maximize the profit of the shareholders. The goal for essential services is to maximize the satisfaction of its customers, using the funding and resources it has been given. The two situations couldn’t be more different.

John H. Terrell