To the editor:

In a perfect world, every child would be conceived in love, nurtured by caring and responsible parents, and provided with excellent health care and educational opportunities. However, we do not live in a perfect world.

While I respect the pro-life movement, abortion cannot be an “all or nothing” matter. The abortion issue is difficult and complex. State laws which totally ban or severely restrict abortions, and that allow private citizens to report or press lawsuits against women who seek abortion or have miscarriages, are both inappropriate and unjustified.

NBC News reported that a lawsuit has been filed by Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor, a synagogue in Boynton Beach, against the sweeping Florida abortion ban. Their lawsuit maintains that the newly enacted state law violates the free exercise of the Jewish faith guaranteed by the constitution. The lawsuit states that the Florida law is contrary to their Jewish belief that abortion “is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman” and that the law “threatens the Jewish people by imposing the laws of other religions upon Jews.” It will be interesting to see how it is handled by the conservative Florida courts.

Similarly, while the Christian Right and the Roman Catholic Church hold views opposing all abortions, there is no uniformity of belief among Christians. There are countless people of strong faith and conviction who are not part of the religious right. Many Christian denominations and groups have expressed the view that abortion, in some circumstances, is the appropriate decision in the face of difficult or challenging situations. The Evangelical Lutheran Church has maintained for many years that after prayerful consideration and professional consultation, abortion can be an “option of last resort.”

The right-to-life must be balanced against other rights: the right to privacy, the right to medical care, the right of women to have oversight and decision-making for their own bodies, and the right to the free expression of religious beliefs. It is contrary to our American principles and constitutional guarantees to impose the doctrinal beliefs of any one religious body upon everyone else. This issue requires our prayerful thought as we elect our leaders this November.

Robert vonFrisch

Weatherly