Letter to the editor: Vote Democrat if you value freedom

Calling all moderate Republican, libertarian and independent women: Vote Democrat this fall if you value your freedoms, if you value political moderation. Our only choice, even if you’ve always voted mainly Republican (like me for the last 35 years), to purge the party of candidates who are extremist, literally bordering on fascism, is to vote for moderate Democrats.

The reversal of Roe v. Wade, essentially forcing a minority’s religious beliefs (the heck with Thomas Jefferson’s separation of church and state, right?) on women with no thought to their bodies, their minds, their lives, is beyond reprehensible. The rapist who got you pregnant may have more rights than you do. Justice Clarence Thomas is now questioning the right to contraceptives. Scary.

To all of the so-called “pro-lifers” out there — there are over 420,000 children languishing in foster care who would love to be adopted. Many of the poor, single women forced to give birth will need lots of financial assistance and education so that we can lift that child out of the cycle of illiterate poverty — who’s stepping up to provide this support? Many of these children go hungry; how to feed everyone? If the mother dies during birth, whose hands have blood on them? Gun violence is rife in our schools and neighborhoods; how to stop the deaths of young innocents?

The reality is that these so-called conservatives (who once believed in individual freedoms) really don’t care once the child is born. Please vote to correct this imbalance!

Karla Thomas

Hempfield