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U.S. laws impacting reproductive choice should take male role in account, reader says

State - 5/8/2022

Men, too

If abortion is outlawed, women will lose reproductive rights.

Men should also lose some of their reproductive rights. We will need to ban Viagra and all sexual enhancement drugs and devices for men.

Since a pregnancy requires a man’s participation, the government can stop unwanted pregnancies before they happen.

Elizabeth Jones, Columbia

Finding hope

More than 700,000 adults in South Carolina live with a mental health condition.

Of the 220,000 adults needing care, 47.2% cannot afford it, and more than 2 million live in communities with few qualified professionals. Many affected individuals also are consigned to prisons without proper psychiatric care.

Dr Debra Bjork, a local psychiatrist, believes she has a way out of our current crisis as founder of the local non-profit Our Place of Hope which will build a clubhouse for the mentally ill in Lexington County to serve the Midlands.

The Clubhouse model is an internationally recognized program for helping mentally ill adults thrive. Daily programming allows members to develop friendships and gain the life skills necessary for integration into the community. Opportunities for employment, housing, education, and access to medical and psychiatric services are also provided.

Communities with clubhouses have been shown to reverse the alarming rates of suicide, homelessness, hospitalization, and incarceration with a clear economic advantage: One year of holistic recovery services is the same cost as a two-week stay in a psychiatric hospital.

May, Mental Illness Awareness month, is a good time to support Our Place of Hope. Visit ourplaceofhope.org.

Gail Anastasion, Columbia

Selfishness prevails

On Palm Sunday, Christians remembered the crucifixion of Jesus, an innocent man condemned by a mob to be unjustly crucified.

So it is with the Supreme Court leak and the Democratic Party. This party is ruled by mobs. Intimidation is their strategy.

It does not matter that our children are our most precious resource. It does not matter that before the 1960s, our country was built by traditionally married families of all races who struggled together to build this country.

Selfish women and men of today prevail. God help us.

Jane Haeflinger, Greenville

No permit needed

I believe it is time to change the carry gun law in South Carolina to what Georgia’s law does, allowing every legal citizen permitless open carry.

The shootings in Columbiana Mall and a North Charleston parking lot next to a ball field where kids were playing explains why.

As a former law enforcement officer, I believe that the state has no right to override or interfere with the Second Amendment. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled on the side of individual rights in District of Columbia vs. Heller, confirming that the Second Amendment adhered to individuals.

It doesn’t say we need a permit.

Gregory J. Topliff, Warrenville

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