Letters to the Editor

I am a friend of Kermit Gosnell. I have known him most of my life and I feel that the articles about him do not reflect what I know. They also don't reflect much balance. Pejoratives like

monster

or

butcher

, although modified by

alleged

, may not represent the balance in his life or this case.

This man opened a clinic that many were clamoring for and focused his service on helping low- and moderate-income folks. This man has cared for people and kept their confidentiality when others sought to deny them their rights.

I like to see both sides: the number of lives he may have saved, the reasons why both local and state agencies have cleared him, and the balanced truth. Let's wait for the facts. For me, that's part of what friendship and fairness are about.

J. Otis Smith

Philadelphia

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I find it incredible that former Gov. Ed Rendell is now speaking out about the alleged atrocities at Kermit Gosnell's abortion center ("Rendell deplores charges about West Philadelphia abortion clinic," Jan. 22). For years, the Rendell administration turned a blind eye to abortion facilities throughout the state, not bothering to inspect them. The state apparently cared more about what was happening in nail salons than in abortion centers. Let's hope the new leadership in Harrisburg will move to protect women by giving the abortion industry the scrutiny it deserves.

Maria Vitale

Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

Harrisburg

Lifelines@paprolife.org

nolead begins

Your story suggests that Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams believes the alleged activities of Kermit Gosnell aren't about the "morality of abortion" ("Doctor faces eight counts of murder," Jan. 20). I beg to differ. The house of horrors that has been exposed and the even more deplorable indifference of public officials underscore the immorality of "regulating," rather than prohibiting, the killing of humans. Is there really some magic that makes this all OK at 24 weeks and not at 25? Or using a curette instead of a scissors? Or a difference of a few inches from inside to outside the womb? In the "good" abortion clinics, the women do indeed fare better than in Gosnell's. The babies' fate, however, remains the same.

Elisa Winterstein

Feasterville

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Organizations and causes too often provide cover for their radical, illegal, or dangerous offshoots, and so it was good to hear the president of Planned Parenthood come down against health-care providers who do not follow the law and thus endanger patients ("Women's right facing threats," Sunday).

I was, however, appalled to learn that Medicaid in Pennsylvania does not cover abortion services, which in essence means that only the poor do not have the right to make their own decisions regarding childbearing. Equally appalling, at a time when we need our representatives focused on jobs, the House is spending time on abortion legislation. This is not what most of us want from our legislators, and we should let them know how we feel.

Jackie Baldick

Bryn Mawr

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We all owe a debt of gratitude to John DeBella and his program director for wandering around Independence Hall with money attached to his clothes to prove that Philadelphia is safe at night ("Safer now maybe than in 1776?" Sunday). That was to contradict Glenn Beck's assertion that it was not safe.

Well, I guess we owe a debt of gratitude to Beck because we found out just how lacking the security really is at Independence Hall. An equipment bag left unattended for "20 minutes" is absolutely unacceptable. I'll bet that it won't happen again. Or will it?

Ron Coates

Chadds Ford

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Wednesday's weather has forced me to rethink my constant diatribe to my daughters about career decisions. Although they are years away from college, I constantly tell them that they need to look for something that they love and is profitable.

However, I just realized that the best career that would have a minimal accountability requirement would be meteorologist. Who didn't wake up Wednesday expecting some rain, with snow not arriving until the afternoon?

That's why I will emphasize the importance of meteorology to my daughters. Not because I believe it is a great science or is that reliable, but because if you are ever wrong, you can just shrug your shoulders and say, "Oops, didn't see that coming."

Jorge L. Septien

Robbinsville