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Taking
Control
To
the Editor:
Contraception
has provided women with the ability to plan both the timing
and size of their families, revolutionizing many lives, including
my own. This perspective was absent from your article “Walking
the Line” [Newsfront, Sept. 14] about legal efforts by Catholic
Charities to stop women from obtaining insurance coverage
for contraception through the Women’s Health and Wellness
Act.
Contraception has allowed me to complete both a bachelor’s
and a master’s degree, embark on what I hope will be a long
and successful career and, most importantly, offered me the
opportunity to become a mother when I am ready. These are
opportunities women before me did not always have, and every
day I am extremely grateful that I can live the life I have
always dreamed, and be the mother I know someday I want to
be.
There was a line in the opening paragraph of your article
that really struck me, and that was the feeling of the organizations
fighting the law that providing prescription contraceptive
coverage to their employees is financial support that “forces
them to commit sin.” What I find sinful is the blatant and
coercive discrimination the exception they are seeking would
create. To deny women the opportunity to obtain an education,
participate in the workforce, and to determine when and how
often they become a mother is unconscionable.
Georgana
Hanson
Saratoga Springs
To
the Editor:
Nicole
Klaas leaves out an important voice in her article: women
who need contraception. Without contraception, my sister would
not have been able to take drugs for treatment of Crohn’s
Disease, a horrible autoimmune disorder. The drugs to treat
her illness can cause severe birth defects or miscarriage.
Pregnancy could also have caused a recurrence of her disease
symptoms. Birth control was part of the basic treatment for
her condition. If she could not afford the cost of birth control,
she would not have had that treatment option. Fortunately,
birth control was covered by her insurance plan and she is
healthy today—and so is her 3-year-old son!
Alisa
Costa
Chatham
Here’s
Hoping!
To
the Editor:
I
am writing in response to your recent article concerning the
upcoming election in the 21st Congressional District. [“Civil
Politics?,” Newsfront, Aug. 31]
Congressman Michael McNulty earned Citizen Action of New York’s
endorsement for reelection in this fall’s important election
because of his clear voting record in Congress of fighting
for working families and fighting for economic justice.
Congressman McNulty has been a vocal opponent of the disastrous
Bush administration’s economic policies. He has opposed the
privatization of Social Security and voted against huge tax
cuts for millionaires. Congressman McNulty also opposed the
Bush Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that was designed
to benefit the big drug and insurance multinational companies
more than our senior citizens.
As a cosponsor of a federal Clean Money, Clean Elections bill
in the House of Representatives, McNulty has shown his support
for reforming our corrupt campaign-finance system by the implementation
a system in which candidates who do not collect private money
would be allocated public funds.
Finally, McNulty was an early Congressional leader—nearly
one year ago—in the call to bring our troops home from Iraq
without further delay.
Anita
Thayer
Co-chair, Capital District Citizen Action
Albany
How
We Roll
To
the Editor:
I
just read “Which City Do You See?” [Looking Up, Aug. 24] on
Metroland online. I think the author, Miriam Axel-Lute,
is missing a huge point about keeping the character of a city.
I recently moved here from New Hampshire to purchase a downtown
Albany business. I also live in the city. You New Yorkers
need to understand how your runaway tax-and-spend mentality
is damaging this state. My mom-and-pop shop is so crushed
with taxes, fees, and insurance costs that I now think moving
here was a mistake.
If you don’t like the big corporations stripping the charm
of a city, you need to consider that giant corporations are
the only ones with enough financial strength to deal with
the punishing cost of doing business in New York. Ridiculous
taxes are always cited as a reason people continue to leave
this once-great state.
Everyone likes to hate corporations, but your voting behavior
and fiscal irresponsibility are fostering that which you say
you despise. This expensive nanny-state of yours is going
to leave only two groups: government bureaucrats, and mega-corps
that afford to stay. Regular people want to live someplace
else. Can you blame them?
Rich
Krissel
Albany
Correction
In “The Unofficial Story” [Aug. 31], Korey Rowe was mistakenly
identified as a member of a Special Forces unit. Mr. Rowe
was a U.S. Army Specialist.
Metroland
welcomes typed, double-spaced letters addressed to the editor.
Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length
or clarity; 300 words is the preferred maximum. You must include
your name, address and day and evening telephone numbers.
We will not publish letters that cannot be verified, nor those
that are anonymous, illegible, irresponsible or factually
inaccurate.
Send
to:
Letters, Metroland
419 Madison Ave., Albany, NY 12210
e-mail:
metroland@metroland.net
fax:
463-3726
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