Letters to the Editor

Every child in Pennsylvania deserves the opportunity to learn and grow. At his inauguration last week, Gov. Corbett correctly stated that our "education system must contend with other nations." He is absolutely right - but his means of getting there couldn't be more wrong ("Corbett gets a wish list from conservatives," Tuesday).

By siphoning limited and critical public funding desperately needed for teacher training, smaller class sizes, and expanded support services, vouchers divert essential resources away from public schools - de facto, away from the children who need it most. The National Council of Jewish Women believes this endangers the ability of the public school system to provide an education to all children. Further, the use of school vouchers for parochial schools is tantamount to government funding of sectarian education and discrimination in hiring and admissions practices.

NCJW is committed to ensuring that every child has access to free, quality public education. School vouchers are not the means to this end.

Christine Stone

State Public Affairs Chair

National Council of Jewish Women

Pittsburgh

www.ncjw.org

nolead begins

One letter Tuesday on the allegations against Dr. Kermit Gosnell rebutted another.

A doctor blamed antiabortion activists like me for making it difficult for pregnant women "to find safe and legal abortion services" ("Antibortion foes must share blame.")

Nice try, doc, but another letter says, "Our community is fortunate to have [clinics] ... in which safe, affordable care can be sought" ("At other clinics, safe, affordable care.")

Murder charges against Gosnell put truth to the lie that legality guarantees abortion's safety. Hacks can be found in every line of work. Sadly, the voices of women who speak publicly of surviving botched legal abortions are generally heard only in pro-life circles or at pro-life events.

Marybeth T. Hagan

Rose Valley

nolead begins

The headline "Life is the better choice" (Monday) is truer than intended, coming as it did on the day of the March for Life. Yes, you are right about capital punishment. Now extend such thinking further. The violence of abortion is no substitute for seeing that women and girls in crisis pregnancies and their children have what they need. Many who regret their own abortions are trying to tell our society how much harm foisting such uncaring "solutions" on people is doing.

Rita Anne Petruccelli

Villas

nolead begins

The letter "Sordid reality of abortion" states, "Abortion, whether legal or not, violently ends an innocent life, and enriches the 'professionals' who provide it" (Monday). I agree that these are violent acts; they are very real and they are horrific. However, I disagree that anyone who performs such an act will have a life that is "enriched."

Donna Smith

Ambler

nolead begins

The presence of a Dr. Kermit Gosnell in the community should be viewed as an indictment of the state regulatory agencies, not of the availability of abortion providers. Those of us who feel strongly that a woman should be free to exercise her right to a personal choice in a safe, clean, medically competent facility are horrified that this clinic was allowed to flourish unchecked by authorities.

The antiabortionist focus on this, as an example of the evils of abortion rather than the evil of one man, is again an example of the blinders worn by those whose sympathies are reserved for the unborn but not for the women faced with this most difficult decision. Ironically, the most vocal of this community, and often the spokespersons, are men, who will never find themselves having to make the choice to end a pregnancy.

Deanna Tropea

Quakertown

nolead begins

As the editorial "Remove the politics" (Sunday) indicated, new lines for legislative and congressional districts must be drawn to reflect population shifts over the past decade, to comply with the "one person, one vote" standard, and to address the fact that Pennsylvania will now have 18, rather than 19, representatives in Congress.

As one of five members on the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, one of my goals is for 2011 to be the most open and transparent redistricting process in our state's history. Already, my colleagues and I have publicly asked for applicants to serve as chair of the commission; more information is available at www.SenatorPileggi.com.

I agree that public hearings should be held around the state before redistricting plans are developed - and I believe more hearings should be held after the commission adopts a preliminary plan. Additionally, I will work with the other commission members to develop a robust redistricting website so that all relevant information and data are easily accessible by citizens.

State Sen. Dominic Pileggi

Majority Leader

Harrisburg