Letters

Regarding the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, I would like to offer some suggestions.

The time and place for the original decision of Roe was such that women were being forced into single parenthood and, in most cases, poverty. The male partner of the union to create the life in question was not easily identified. The mother could say who it was, but there was no way to prove her allegation in 1973.

Her resulting situation was a life of extreme difficulty and hardship. The natural father of the child in question was never held responsible for the care, nurturing, education and expense of raising a child. He could continue to live a carefree life while his partner worried about bills, homework and health care for the child.

The only options available to a woman at that time were to either bear and raise the child as a mother in a family setting by marriage, to bear and raise the child as a single mother, to bear the child and place it for adoption to another family, or to abort the child.

As a child adopted at birth, I have always thought there was a little too much “ouch” in the abortion option. I’m eternally grateful to my birth mother for seeing her pregnancy all the way through so that I could have the wonderful life I’ve had.

With DNA testing, it is easy to determine “who’s the daddy?” Determining the parenthood of both partners allows our society to assign responsibility and prescribe the resources needed for the father and mother to raise the child. Both parents can then decide to become a family unit through marriage, to raise the child as a single parent, or place the child for adoption. Both parents should be responsible for costs associated with raising a child to the majority age in their locale.

We need to understand that people will have sex whether they are supposed to or not. We need to understand that nobody should get to walk away from some “uncomfortable news.” There are responsibilities involved in adult behavior, and they must be met by all.

Congress should pass this legislation quickly. We have all heard about a right to a decent life. Now is the time for the government to make sure we stick to it.

Bruce C. Doscher

Hampton Bays