Letters to the Editor | Sept. 12, 2022

I know I speak for many women as I write this letter. We are afraid for ourselves, our daughters, our granddaughters, and women everywhere. Some politicians are promising a total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest — even if the mother’s life is in danger. That proposed law goes too far and is way too extreme. Pennsylvanians do not want government mandates dictating their healthcare decisions. These choices should be made in private consultations between themselves and their doctor. And we women deserve the same bodily autonomy men are given naturally — and automatically — without question or invasion of privacy.

I know it’s easy to close our eyes to this issue, thinking that this is an argument for the Pennsylvania governor’s race and it will all work out somehow. But please understand that our current state legislature has voted for a constitutional amendment that could result in a full abortion ban. The governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment. If the GOP maintains control of the legislature, the bill could pass again in the new year and end up on our ballot in 2023.

We need to stop this legislation before it reaches the ballot. We can flip the Pennsylvania legislature and stop the bill in its tracks.

I am asking each and every person to vote on Nov. 8. If a candidate cannot state their position on this issue, they do not deserve my vote. Period.

Elise Bowers, Harleysville

I am a parent with children who participate in South Philly

sports and activities. I support plans to build multiple athletic fields and recreational amenities at FDR Park for our community. As a parent and committed volunteer, I know that there are not a lot of options for the children of our community.

The new facilities at FDR Park will provide much-needed space for sports and other activities for children. FDR Park is a central location that is not too far for those who take public transportation, Lyft, Uber, or simply walk. Access to sports and activities in the park area will bring South Philly families together for a common cause — our children. The new fields will allow our local youth sports leagues to host tournaments, fund-raise, and give more children a safe space to learn and grow.

On behalf of children in our community, why shouldn’t our parks provide youth with new and improved opportunities for activity, growth, learning, sports, and recreation?

Dellarosa Wroten, Philadelphia

Doug Mastriano, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania, was among the mob of

Trump supporters during the violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, though he did not go into the U.S. Capitol itself, nor has he been charged with any crimes.

He has been a leading advocate of the false narrative about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, undermining our democratic election, in spite of the fact that state and federal judges dismissed more than 50 lawsuits presented by former

President Donald Trump and his allies, challenging the election or its outcome. And in spite of the fact that President Joe Biden defeated Trump by over seven million votes.

Mastriano was among a hostile mob, many openly brandishing weapons, being urged by the former president to march on the Capitol “and fight,” claiming he was cheated, and, at the same time, surrounded by these fellow rioters with signs representing groups advocating white supremacy, violence, and pro-Nazi, antisemitic, anti-government, anti-democracy flags, posters, and clothing. Consider also observing the presence of a gallows with a noose. Didn’t he think he was marching with the wrong group?

James Hugh Gratz, Langhorne

I don’t expect to see a Biden-Cheney ticket because Rep. Liz Cheney has shown herself to be a stridently committed conservative, and she’s too principled to pretend to be a liberal because it’s expedient. She has, though, shown a fervent commitment to

seeing that Donald Trump does not return to office, to the point of sacrificing her own political career toward that end. I don’t see her running against him as a Republican because she’d lose. I see her running as a conservative independent — not to win, but to drain as many votes from him as possible. We liberals may not agree with her stance, but we should never question her commitment to keeping this democracy alive.

Karl Weiss, Pennsburg

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