To the editor:

I am writing to thank NC Representative Phil Haire for his courage and integrity in voting against House Bill 854, both in the initial vote and in the override of Gov. Purdue’s veto on it.

Since women and their doctors were given the right to choose reproductive issues in 1973 without coercion or intimidation we have never seen such an attempt to roll back those hard fought for rights until now. I urge all women who struggled with these issues back then and who look at what their daughters and granddaughters are now facing to support all efforts to stop the erosion of a very critical basic right.

Forcing a distraught and probably very young woman or a teenager to delay her decision  after she has come to a legally binding conclusion about her status is no way to convince her to change that decision. It will just add another alienating layer of stress on a person who is trying to make a hard choice.

We fought hard for that right of choice 40 years ago and as a mother myself I can tell you that my children were loved and wanted, but I would never presume to force another woman to bear a child. I think it really is an issue for a woman, her family and her doctor and, in fact, the law says so.

So why are politicians so eager to align themselves with a rising tide of targeted control of women’s’ rights? The answer lies not so much with this issue itself but with the underlying issue of control and coercion for shallow political ends.

Again, I commend Phil Haire for his vote and I hope that in the present climate of political dysfunction that we will remember that he stood up for women’s rights.

Angela McGregor

Bryson City