Letters to the Editor | May 10, 2023

I was saddened to read Lizzy McLellan Ravitch’s report about Philadelphia schoolteachers, who are entrusted with educating the city’s children but must scrimp, save up sick time, and manipulate their schedules if they want to have offspring of their own. Unfortunately, their situation is far from unique in this country, and women in many other occupations share their plight. Most other nations have figured out how to offer paid maternity leave and still keep the cogs of government and private industry running smoothly. Somehow, this process is far beyond the abilities and desires of Congress. In fact, the United States is one of only two countries on the planet that does not guarantee paid maternity leave for new moms. The other is Papua New Guinea. It’s American exceptionalism at its worst.

Elaine Rose, Galloway

All the parsing of statistics is unnecessary. We all know the answer: Ban all semiautomatic weapons. They were designed for warfare, not personal weaponry. Keep sporting and personal weapons for protection. Single-shot rifles and revolvers. It satisfies the Second Amendment and satisfies hunters and those who feel the need for personal protection. The ban is for the children, the unlucky bystander, and keeps the police force safe. Ask any police officer if they agree to having semiautomatics on the street, and the answer is always no. End this. It’s obvious that it is the only answer.

Brian Boland, Rose Valley

If Philadelphia and its law enforcement agencies are really determined to reduce gun violence, it must demand that the judicial system do its job. Individuals responsible for straw purchases should serve jail time, not probation sentences. There is no deterrent if there is no consistent accountability. Take the case of Denzel Johnson, reported in The Inquirer. Johnson admitted to making a straw purchase, yet only received a five-year probation sentence. The gun that was purchased was subsequently used to murder Jayden Scott.

Elaine Mackowiak, Philadelphia

Twitter has been criticized for allowing the distribution of graphic images following the recent mass shooting in Texas. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson advocated showing these horrors in a 2022 Washington Post op-ed. The ethics of this are complex and controversial. The media must not in any way glorify the shooter, for we can’t foster “generalized imitation” that leads to more shootings. Interested parties must also read the recent account of Sandy Hook crime scene investigators in the April 20 New York Times Magazine. Strange that our nation has problems with images of real violence, but no problem with violent, graphic movies. Significant social changes did come from real images of Emmett Till and the “Napalm girl” Phan Thi Kim Phúc. Surely significant national gun safety measures would be enacted if it was the duty of our lawmakers to view the unedited carnage of every mass shooting.

L. David Wise, Philadelphia, l.david.wise@gmail.com

It is troubling that the Proud Boys were stalking and harassing Gwen Snyder, as detailed in her recent op-ed, because they didn’t like what she wrote about them. They spread misinformation, including posting posters around her neighborhood with her address and the false allegation she was a convicted pedophile. And these guys call themselves patriots? The police did little to stop the harassment, perhaps because some looked at the group as friendly to their cause (Philly Proud Boys even partied at the private bar belonging to the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police in 2020). Fast forward to December 2021, and the Proud Boys, who profess to be patriotic law-and-order citizens, plot to attack the U.S. Capitol to hopefully overturn a free and fair election. Five police officers died as a result of the “protest” and about 140 others were injured. That doesn’t seem to support their law-and-order platform. So, are they patriots or anarchists? A patriot is someone “who loves his or her country.” Anarchy is “a social structure without government or law and order.” The behavior leading up to and including Jan. 6, 2021, was not patriotic. The rioters, Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, were attempting to change the results of a free and fair election, create confusion and havoc, and cause harm to members of Congress. They are not patriots, they are anarchists.

Susan Thompson, Media

Christine Coughlin’s commentary, “An unsettling challenge to FDA’s authority,” provides informative examples of the need for an agency to regulate the availability and use of medications. Particularly noteworthy was the decision to refuse to approve thalidomide because of insufficient evidence to demonstrate its safety, and the subsequent documentation of its ability to cause severe birth defects. This experience also clearly confirms that the FDA’s responsibility to protect public health extends to the protection of unborn babies. The approval of mifepristone by the FDA was for the specific purpose of terminating pregnancy. The lives of millions of unborn babies have been terminated with this product. It was not approved for the treatment of illnesses or other medical issues of the women for whom it is prescribed. The current challenges to the FDA are not for the purpose of questioning its authority, but rather to challenge a specific decision that contradicts its mission and responsibility to protect public health. It made the wrong decision, and the approval of mifepristone to terminate pregnancy should be rescinded.

Daniel A. Hussar, dean emeritus and Remington professor emeritus, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy

Sunday’s article, “How N.J. and other states reduce gun sales,” gives me pause and makes me wonder: Where are the voters, or are we truly a state that embraces guns to the point that we all just look the other way on our weak gun sales laws, and to the responsibilities that should go with gun ownership? Did you know that in Pennsylvania there is no requirement to report a stolen weapon? Really! The enforcement of the already lax requirements on the sale and resale of weapons is like an open back door. I’m not belittling the efforts of those agencies and individuals who are trying to curtail resale and straw sales, but where are our legislators? Why are our laws trailing behind other states? Is it truly our constitutional rights that are being protected? We have many gun owners in our state, most of whom know and understand the responsibility of owning a weapon, and who have undertaken training and treat their guns with respect. If you care, look seriously at who you vote for in the next election. Look at those who support gun legislation. Put your vote to work.

Philip A. Tegtmeier Sr., Honey Brook

The article “Philly schools see big drops in academics and attendance” should be required reading for those supporting Randi Weingarten and the American Federation of Teachers’ insistence on keeping schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic after the science (and the success of other districts and states) had shown the risk of in-person classes was very low. As the evidence in this article makes clear, their position was not in the best interest of the children, as they disingenuously claimed. Weingarten should step down in shame, and if she does not, she should be unceremoniously removed. That is the least we owe the children.

Tom Murphy, Philadelphia

The Daily Pennsylvanian recently reported that Penn “strongly encourages all members of the community to remain up to date on vaccines … which remain a cornerstone of our public health approach to campus health.” Exactly the logic you would expect from an Ivy League university with a renowned academic medical center. But incomprehensibly, Penn also announced that it has lifted the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students, faculty, and staff — a classic example of ignoring public health. With a new variant about to hit, a new vaccine about to become available, and its own reasoning about the importance of vaccines, Penn’s support for individual discretion instead of an institutional mandate is bizarre. I hope president Liz Magill will revoke the new vaccine policy and revert to Penn’s own logic about the importance of vaccines before the campus becomes a superspreader for the new variant.

Debra Weiner, Quakertown

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