Dear Editor: Letters to the Editor and articles have been appearing in newspapers around the state, making extreme claims about what the effect of Amendment 1 will be, if passed. It’s time to get the facts. The most common claim is that Amendment 1 will “make abortion illegal in West Virginia.” False. Abortion is legal in West Virginia, not because of our state Constitution, but because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision (Roe v. Wade, 1973) that decided there was a so-called “right” to abortion under the Federal, or U.S. Constitution. We cannot change that by amending our state Constitution. Secondly, the claim is made that “women will die” if Amendment 1 passes, because (they say) there are “no exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the woman.” False. It is true that the language in the Amendment itself does not spell out those particular exceptions, but if passed, a previous West Virginia law, still on the books, will come back into force. That law, found at WV Code Section 9-2-11, allows for taxpayer funding of abortions in cases of medical emergency, reported rape and incest, fetal anomaly, and threats to the life of the mother. Third, the claim is made that the “state has no business in the exam room or the bedroom.” To that I would say, the state then has no business in my wallet to pay for something that I, and millions of others in this country, believe is the taking of innocent human life. The U.S. Supreme Court itself decided in Harris v. McRae (1980) that states are not required to pay for abortions using tax dollars, and only 17 states in the United States still do so. Finally, abortion is not healthcare. The debate over abortion has always been about elective abortions, that is, all about choice. A woman does not need medical permission from her doctor to get an abortion, it is not a medical decision. Let’s join the majority of the country and get out of the business of paying for elective abortions. Vote “YES” on Amendment 1. Sincerely, Judith Fuller Durbin Dear Editor: This being election time, I would like to share my views on a controversial and confusing issue affecting all us voters. That would be Constitutional Amendment 1. I think that Amendment 1 is misunderstood and confusing to people by the way it is worded. In my opinion, this is about paying for abortion. Being elderly and on a fixed income, I don’t want my tax dollars spent on abortions. I hear so many women say women are going to die. It’s not about rape. Regardless of how you feel about abortion. You can still get an abortion due to Roe v Wade. It remains the law of the land. It’s unfair to speculate on “what if it’s overturned.” So I urge voters to vote yes. Lewis Collins Charleston
