Abortion laws

Why do some conservative politicians continue to blame women for abortions? They are working against the Pro-Life movement. I and many women can testify to being pressured into “raising our skirts” by men, however, not by all men. If we are serious about ending all abortions, why don’t we legislate that men, who can be tracked by DNA, should support the raising of the child until 18? That would mean we are really serious about avoiding abortions. The question is: are we really serious? If you have to legislate prohibitions against abortion, why not legislate paternal responsibility?

— Audrey Armistead
Salisbury

Trump and the Supreme Court

Are you frightened? If you are not, you should be. This country has been flirting with totalitarianism ever since the Trump cult raised its ugly head. There is a huge group of people in this country who will follow Donald Trump no matter what he does and what he says. Whatever lies he tells, they will take as truth no matter how absurd it is. Now the Supreme Court has told Mr. Trump that if he becomes president again, he can do whatever he wishes without any risk of criminal liability. This is the kind of power that Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Pol Pot had and that Putin exercises now.

I think that it is tempting to suggest that just because Trump would have that power, he wouldn’t use it. That is certainly true of our current President, Joe Biden. The thought that Trump wouldn’t use this freedom given to him by the Supreme Court if he becomes president is absurd. He has shown time and time again that he has little regard for the truth and very little concern for anybody other than himself. Whatever he wants, he will do whatever it takes to get it.

It may occur to some that the solution is the impeachment procedure. No matter what he would do, an impeachment conviction is nearly impossible because of the nearly cultlike devotion of the Senate Republican to this evil man. It only takes one-third of the Senators plus one to block a conviction in the Senate. We have already seen this play out twice already.

At this point there is only one remedy to this dire problem in the short term and that is to vote for Joe Biden. There is simply no other solution. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors and shout it from the rooftops. Save our democracy. Vote for Joe Biden.

— Dr. Jim Beard
Albemarle

Beard formerly lived in Rowan County for more than 30 years and served as professor of chemistry at Catawba for 25 years.