To the Editor:
Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court last Friday. This effectively ended a constitutional right that has been protected for almost 50 years: legal abortion.
Even as we reaffirm our commitment to respecting individual differences in beliefs and values, as presidents of colleges that were founded for women, we are deeply concerned about the effect this ruling will have on women’s lives and the lives of people of all genders who will be denied or will have limited access to reproductive health care.
Research and history show that this ruling will have a negative impact on college access, graduation rates, employment trajectories, as well as the ability to get into college. People of color and people with low incomes will be most affected.
We will continue to provide health care for reproductive health on campuses located in states that allow it. We will also inform students about the best ways to get access to all aspects of reproductive health care. We want to be clear that we don’t believe Americans should be restricted by their geography.
We encourage everyone to speak up and participate in our democracy. As Coretta Scott King said: “The struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never won. You earn it and win it in every generation.”
Sian Leah Beilock, Barnard College
Elizabeth H. Bradley, Vassar College
Kimberly Cassidy – Bryn Mawr College
Paula A. Johnson, Wellesley College
Smith College, Kathleen McCartney
Sonya Stephens, Mount Holyoke College
The Supreme Court of Appeal and the Coach Who Prayed
Students who get benched because they don’t join in the Christian team prayer before or after a game. Students who don’t get playing time because they won’t go to the Christian varsity (or some other) pizza lunch offered at school. Students who are unable to play because they missed a practice or a game for the High Holy Days will lose their starting place on the team.
And tell me again how exactly we have separation of church and state in this country, and how Monday’s Supreme Court ruling makes us a more perfect union.
Stephanie M. Alexander
Charleston, S.C.
To the Editor:
I wonder if the court’s conservative majority would have ruled for the coach if he were Muslim and his prayers were to Allah?
Perhaps Democrats should submit a test case in order to determine how religiously-tolerant the conservative majority is.
Robert Cheikes
Valley Cottage, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Remember how we marveled that evangelical Christians supported Donald Trump’s candidacy? He seemed to be living in the opposite of Christian values. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Alan Rutkowski
Victoria, British Columbia
Putin’s ‘Nakedly Imperialist Project’
To the Editor:
Re “Destruction Without End,” by Linda Kinstler (Opinion, Sunday Review, June 19):
Russia’s move to “Russify” occupied areas of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s identification with Peter the Great lay bare what was long apparent: that Mr. Putin’s stated concerns about NATO expansionism and easily debunkable accusations of Nazis in Kyiv were mere facades for a nakedly imperialist project.
Mr. Putin seeks not only to dominate his neighbors but also to destroy them — and to envelop them within Russia, much as the Soviet Union did in the Baltics and Eastern Europe.
He believes that milestones are important and that time is on his side. He doesn’t need to worry about politics or elections. He believes he can not just outwit the West, but also last it.
It is essential that we prove him wrong. Our attention spans are short and the media becomes bored. However, we must remain focused on long-term goals in order to preserve democracy and freedom. The only way to defeat Mr. Putin is to stand up to him — and not engage in illusory appeasement.
The West must support Ukraine with heavy weapons in sufficient quantities to enable it to survive in a war against all odds and preserve its sovereignty. Russia must be isolated to the extent feasible — requiring Europeans to cease their addiction to Russian oil more quickly and completely.
Daniel Dolgicer
Tel Aviv
A Democratic Strategy That Could Backfire
To the Editor:
Re “Democrats Aid G.O.P. Extremists, Hoping to Beat Them in Fall” (front page, June 17):
I am disappointed at the short-term memories of campaign strategists in Democratic Party who believe that helping the most extreme right-wing G.O.P. is the best thing for the party. More Democrats will win in November if there are more candidates in the primaries.
A mere seven years ago a brash television personality, with zero experience in public office but enough personal and professionally negative baggage to fill the hold on 10 jumbo Jets, descended upon an escalator, and announced his bid to be the highest office in the country.
Some Democrats were happy; there was no way to be absurd. Donald Trumpcould ever be elected president in the United States! I have no idea if any Democratic fat cats contributed to his campaign, hoping he’d be nominated at the G.O.P. convention and then have his head handed to him in November, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
How’d that work out, guys?
David English
Acton, Mass.
Source: NY Times