SPEAKING OUT:

Open Letter to Congressman Bart Stupak

March 5, 2010

Congressman Bart Stupak
2268 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Stupak

Like many Americans who are concerned about the well-being of fellow citizens, I favor the passage of the current healthcare reform legislation. It is unconscionable that so many millions of Americans lack healthcare insurance. It now appears that your stand opposing what you call “abortion language” in the legislation could cause you to vote against the entire bill. Please reconsider this. While I appreciate your principles in this matter (no one is “in favor" of abortion, but there may be exigent circumstances, and hard choices may have to be made, and the person making these choices may have no resources available to allow those choices to be made), I ask that you put the welfare of millions of people ahead of your religious scruples. Even the Roman Catholic Church countenances abortions in certain circumstances, such as with “pregnancy reductions” when a mother is carrying too many fetuses to bring them all to term; the justification for aborting excess fetuses is that it is preferable to have some live births (a minimum of two) than none.

You have a hard choice to make too: if you vote in favor of the bill, millions of individuals will have access to healthcare that they currently lack, and lives will be saved and pain will be eased and diseases will be diagnosed before they become impossible to cure. If you vote against the bill, you will not be “saving” the unborn, because as history has shown, desperate women may do desperate things. Not everyone shares your beliefs, or can afford to abide by them even if they share them.

As a U.S. Representative you have a duty and responsibility to serve all your constituents--and all Americans beyond your district. Your single vote could make all the difference. Please do the right thing and vote yes for the healthcare legislation, whether you get your way or not.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,
Alice Cherbonnier

P.S.: It would have been simpler to have sent you an email message, but your website only permits your Michigan consituents to communicate with you that way. I sent this message to you via fax (202-225-4744), but your line is busy. Please consider offering all Americans email access to you, not just your constituents, because your voting decisions impact the entire country.