Letter: Abortion should not be a means of birth control

Most of the candidates on the left are making their ads simply on the issue of abortion, saying they support women’s right to choose, mentioning rape and incest to justify their position. Rarely are any other issues or qualifications included. Along with their pro-abortion position, they include something of their opponent’s making a statement against abortion, even inserting the argument about rape and incest.

How many, and what percentage, of abortions are performed as a result of rape or incest? Why isn’t that made public?

I am not a simple yes-or-no person on this issue. There are some cases where terminating a pregnancy should be an option or an answer. However, I don’t believe abortion should be a simple means of birth control. Why aren’t other methods of birth control discussed? I did an internet search – how far into a pregnancy can a heartbeat and brain begin to develop? According to healthline.com “around week five, the brain, spinal cord, and heart begin to develop. Your baby’s brain is part of the central nervous system, which also houses the spinal cord.” So, according to this, at five weeks it would be taking a life. If left alone, it would grow into a child.

How can a country claiming to be so protective of children be so ready to take the lives of so many?

Carol Perschke

McHenry