by Kathleen Gaffney
Governor Kunin, I write to remind you that despite the fact that men cannot get pregnant as you stated in your last VTDigger column (though this biological fact is disputed by some today as is virtually everything these days) – there are many millions of women, like myself, who oppose the ending of a life in utero.
As a low-income turned middle-income Vermonter myself, I have always had the ability to choose whether or not to become pregnant throughout my life, abortion never having been remotely considered. Being responsible, I chose whether to be sexually active or not, and I chose what type of birth control to use and when. Further, since it obviously takes two to create life, males need to also be made part of the equation and taught to be responsible and accountable in preventing pregnancy as an “equal” partner once a decision is made to be intimate.
Young women should be empowered to learn about their reproductive functions, in order to be aware of when they are most likely fertile, as well as the converse. To murder a child unborn – particularly at later term in the pregnancy as VT does – is not “birth control”, it is abolition of an already extant life. Further, to end a child’s life based upon gender selection (as VT currently seeks to emblazon in our constitution in Proposition 5) is abhorrent and sexist. We can speculate that many future female’s (potentially feminist) lives will be wiped out based upon a preference for a couple to, but of course, birth a boy: the historically “preferred” gender, as was performed in China over decades.
Also, abolition of the filibuster was never considered over the centuries to be worthy of ending until the now “new, improved” democrat party sought to remove it as a means to an end. Decades ago, democrats such as Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi themselves and many others in the party praised its advantages in ensuring equity and preventing partisan politics. Governor, we have a multi-party system of governance in the U.S., and loathe other parties as you may choose, the filibuster should remain – lest, yes, “democracy” be LOST. A one party system is nothing less than a form of totalitarianism.
Let’s all be mindful that not all women and not all Vermonters share your views either about abortion or a one party system. Regardless of the party in control: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Have we not yet learned that throughout history?
Categories: Commentary
thanks Kathleen – well written and so true about having (at least) 2 parties with the ability to think and debate!
Men can get pregnant. Oh boy. No wonder I’m not a liberal anymore.
Thank you Kathleen for speaking out on this very important subject. Much like most of Vermont’s existing elected officials, Kunin is VERY WRONG and doesn’t understand the DIGNITY AND EXCEPTIONAL VALUE OF EVERY HUMAN LIFE.
Over 62 MILLION INNOCENT HUMAN SOULS have been murdered in the womb since the practice of abortion was legalized. That’s about 1,250,000 per year for 50 years. How can any living, breathing, human being with a conscience not be grieved and/or tormented by this fact?
The womb should be the MOST PROTECTED place for a vulnerable, defenseless, innocent human life to exist yet, it has become the most dangerous.
Please search your hearts, minds and souls, view a sonogram and advocate for this BARBARIC PRACTICE to end in our State and Country.
That was beautifully crafted……PLEASE take the time to submit your thoughts to liberal journals in VT for publication as well. I encourage everyone who knows how horrific abortion is to do the same.
I support a woman’s right to choose abortion.
That being stated, there are some profound points made in this letter. The fact that they are, in retrospect, so obvious simply underscores their importance.
What about a father’s rights? What about a baby’s rights?
Some reasonable points made but some overlooked. Not all women do have the ability to control their reproductive future, as in the case of rape and incest (really a subcategory of rape). Also the comment “Also, abolition of the filibuster was never considered over the centuries to be worthy of ending until the now” is a bit over the top. The filibuster wasn’t in the constitution, it wasn’t even possible until a senate rules change in 1806 and wasn’t even used until 1837! So to say “centuries” while technically correct being there were 200 years since 1806, is still a bit of an exaggeration. The filibuster was rarely used for most of the first 150-200 years it was even possible, and so it wasn’t until now that some have questioned whether we shouldn’t go back to the simple majority that our Founding Fathers had in the Constitution. Whether it should be scrapped completely or not is a bigger question than whether it should be scrapped for more exceptions (there are apparently already over 160 exceptions for categories of law that the filibuster can’t be used for), but it is a legitimate one.
Dear Ms. Gaffney:
As one who believes in the Constitution, (and I’m sure you do), you will not find “filibuster” in that document. Its origin goes back to Aaron Burr, (Remember him?). as explained by George Washington University professor and Brookings Institution fellow Sarah Binder.
(https://www.brookings.edu/testimonies/the-history-of-the-filibuster/)
Let us not forget that your party, the Anti-Democratic Party, formerly called the Republican Party, has used this tactic repeatedly when it suited its purpose.
Yet interestingly John, your party just used it again yesterday as Senator Cruz was attempting to introduce a bill to disallow members of Congress to essentially continue to benefit financially from what amounts to “insider trading” based upon the sensitive information they are often privy too.
Secondly, your party actually utilized the filibuster over THREE HUNDRED times just last year, and according to you, that was all relatively “unconstitutional”, correct?
I’d recommend you take a closer look at your own PRO-ABORTION party, the democrat party, as opposed to throwing stones.
Well done, Kathleen. Once again, the duplicitousness and insincerity of so many of those WE have elected are exposed. It is time to clear them out of the way and get honest people in there – good luck with that one. Most good people don’t want to be associated with the political world and the snakes that live there.
I remember Gov. Kunin and her brother Edgar May, two Vermont implants. When I think about some of our intelligent Vermont leaders, these two never come to mind. The democrats walk lockstep with each other. Individual thought is controlled by the party. You are either with them or out. They are the collective. I prefer to be an individual with my own rights as presented in our constitutions. If you wish to be a useful idiot for those who would control your life, you deserve all that comes out of it and it will not be good. You are expendable to the party. Just as expendable as a helpless baby yet to be born.