Jerome Behm, Burlington

I am writing to comment on the letter written by Kayla Schmidt which appeared in the June 23, 2013, issue of The Minot Daily News.

Kayla Schmidt says she had the misfortune of reading Margaret Sitte’s June 2 letter and Mary Graner’s June 9 letter and that both of these ladies used loaded language to impose shame upon women across North Dakota. Kayla goes on to say that “abortion doesn’t exist because of clinics, clinics exist because women need a safe place.” The question that I ask is how safe is any place that is used to murder an innocent human being? Why is it that there is so much unconcern in all of this? Our constitution guarantees everyone the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Abortion denies the right to life to our most innocent and most defenseless citizens and so few seem to be alarmed about this.

Kayla Schmidt goes on to insinuate that a fetus is just a collection of cells. To say this is such an injustice to a human being who is yet not able to sustain life outside the womb. This is a human being in its earliest stages of life and this little human being was endowed with a soul by the Creator at the moment of conception. It is strange how some people can rationalize something so wonderful as the gift of God created life into “just a collection of cells.” This type of language and rationale is dangerous because it tends to remove the dignity and respect that needs to be accorded to God’s gift of life. How long can we as a society exist when the things we need to hold so dear are trashed and relegated as so useless?

Nowhere in her article did Kayla Schmidt suggest that responsible behavior, abstinence, respect for ourselves and others, common decency, or respect and obedience for the 10 commandments be upheld. She uses false rationalization in an attempt to make her point that abortion is right and should be permitted because women have a right to take control of their own bodies. How right is it when one person destroys the life of another just because it seems so convenient to do so?

For those who wish to underrate an embryo or fetus, let’s consider something else. The bald eagle is a protected species and as such, it is against the law to kill them. It is also unlawful to desecrate an eagle nest and to destroy the eggs that are being incubated. And why is this? It is because thought prevails that an eagle will hatch from the egg. I have never heard of anyone trying to say that this is only a “collection of cells” when there is such strong sentiment for saving the eagle. Why then is a human embryo which is endowed with a soul from God viewed as “just a collection of cells?” All of this is some pretty skewed thinking, Kayla.

There is never a time in our lives when we are not responsible to someone or to a higher power. For those who choose to self rationalize that human life is only a collection of cells, there will be a very interesting meeting someday when those individuals face God and then try to rationalize to Him that His gift of life is only a “collection of cells.”