To the editor:

Equality for whom? We were the parents many years ago of a two-pound premature infant daughter. After some weeks of early struggle, our fighter emerged into adulthood as a strong, intelligent, and loving woman. She graduated from college magna cum laude and holds a graduate degree as well. She is also now the devoted mother of five beautiful children of her own. During those first weeks, the amazing neonatal intensive care doctors and nurses who nurtured her necessarily had to draw blood several times a day to monitor her progress. She cried each time, feeling every prick of the needle.

Upon learning that vivisection abortions were being performed in the same hospital on pre-born babies the same size as our daughter, the cognitive dissonance and emotional disorder set in motion were profound. (Yes, they are rare, but about 1 percent of all abortions in the U.S. are inflicted on babies past 21 weeks gestation — 8,000 to 10,000 per year). And, no, the baby torn asunder does not receive the benefit of anesthesia.

Two years ago, our legislature passed a bill that was purported to “codify Roe V. Wade.” In truth, the bill signed into law by then-Gov. Raimondo, when analyzed, went far beyond even those limits and allows abortion up to the moment of birth for almost any reason at all. Our local members are Rep. Terry Cortvriend and Sen. James Seveney, both of whom sponsored that bill.

Now, with this bill, the proposition is to confiscate taxpayer dollars from unwilling contributors to pay for these outrages.

Among its main purposes, the law tries to control behavior and fund interests, in this case interests inimical to many paying the bills. Perhaps even more critically, the function of the law is to educate and inform decisions of the citizenry. This proposed bill takes us many more steps farther down the road to a society that solves its challenges and struggles by killing them.

Please do not venture down this path any farther, we implore you.

Jack and Rita Parquette

15 Birch St.

Portsmouth