To the Editor:

Profound hypocrisy is embedded in the position taken by those legislators and governors who are eliminating all clinics that service women’s health needs.

The claimed so-called justification is to protect the life — and rights to life — of the unborn fetus.

In fact, this is what will occur when clinics are closed in these states:

1) Many women are unable to afford prenatal care and gynecologic care other than at these clinics (that charge much less and are conveniently located to serve women lacking transportation means). Closing them is an intended abuse aimed at marginalized women both of color and poverty.

It will result in selectively undermining the general health of a chosen slice of the states’ female population.

2) The closures will result in the death of fetuses due to making prenatal care and general healthcare for pregnant women inaccessible. To claim removal of these clinics is saving the lives of the unborn by preventing abortion access is the rankest hypocrisy. For every womb that is forced to carry a baby to term, I dare say there will be another womb, even one a willing harbor to an unborn infant, that will lose its child because health and medical services have been made unavailable!

In addition, there will be mothers (perhaps already essential caregivers for children already born to them,) who will die due to untreated conditions that jeopardize health during pregnancy.

Shame on those state legislators! Shame on those governors!

Their policy, supposedly based on a moral principle venerating human life, is actually a policy of class warfare, religious bigotry, and profound dishonesty.

Polly Brody

Heritage Village, Southbury         June 11, 2019