Essential resource

A mistake that many conservatives make is to confuse Planned Parenthood with abortion clinics, which is not the case at all. Planned Parenthood serves as an important medical resource for millions of women who lack the many services they need.

Planned Parenthood is trusted by women everywhere. I know because I used its services when I was in my 20s, when I was just starting out in the real world but with no access to health care. Planned Parenthood helped me heal what ailed me at the time and provided me with follow-up recommendations to a qualified OBGYN. It never once suggested abortions or recommended anything aside from the quality care I needed and deserved.

That fact that study after study proves access to contraceptives is the key to minimizing abortions is ignored by anti-Planned Parenthood crusaders. They also ignore that diligent care of women’s bodies is critical to preventing future diseases and infections — which leads to lower health care costs for taxpayers. The main goal of these crusaders is to simply control the freedom and availability of choices that women should have to make informed decisions about their own bodies.

Defunding Planned Parenthood would be a grave disservice to the millions of women who rely on its care. Anti-Planned Parenthood crusaders must look beyond imposing their values and morals and focus instead on what they were elected to do: work in the best interest of the people.

I demand that our politicians continue to fund Planned Parenthood.

Oraynab Jwayyed Edmond

99 percent

I am asking Oklahomans to stand up to the Republican stranglehold on our state.

We are again experiencing a major budget deficit. Our representatives have served big oil to the detriment of our schools, our health, our environment and our jobs

We do not educate our citizens to be part of the new economy. We cannot keep good teachers because they are so vastly underpaid.

However, the leadership of this state spends its time and political capital on creating restrictive laws for women and tax breaks for big oil.

It is time for us to back candidates that will look out for us and not just the 1 percent.

Virginia Green Duncan

Get a life

The Oklahoman recently did a full-page piece on massage parlors and how they’re giving more than massages. And my question to that is: So what?!

Isn’t that better than legalizing prostitution? And you know Oklahoma in no way, shape or form is going to do that. I say so what if a guy wants to get some relief in a legitimate, clean environment that doesn’t do any harm to anyone.

Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. There’s no way you’re going to stop it. And right now, we have people all over the country being robbed, bank accounts hacked and people being murdered; do we not have more important things to be concerned about than a guy getting “a happy ending”? Come on, critics! Get a life!

Joe Wright Oklahoma City

Supporting Article V

I recently listened to Tom Coburn, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, talking about a Constitutional convention, or an Article V Convention, which includes a way to establish term limits on Congress and the courts, especially the U.S. Supreme Court.

If for no other reason, this should be supported because it’s time to get many of those in Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — out of the game as well as too many leftist liberal judges making their own law.

There are other reasons for supporting this, but this is a good start.

Don Porter Oklahoma City

Fund it

I am writing to express my support for Planned Parenthood. I have contacted U.S. Senators from Oklahoma James Lankford and James Inhofe more times than I can count about the important services it provides toward women’s health care. I am a volunteer clinic escort for patients because no one should be intimidated when seeking health care, especially for services that are wholly legal.

I hope our senators listen to Oklahomans and do not defund Planned Parenthood, a vital resource for our community.

Sarah Hoss McLoud

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to [email protected] or sent online at okgazette.com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

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