Abortion is risky
I am glad that Ms. Daugherty and the women she interviewed were unharmed by their abortions [“Cuccinelli versus women’s health?” Opinion, Sept. 21]. Sadly, not all women share that experience.
Like all surgeries, abortion poses serious risks. These include excessive bleeding, puncture of the uterus, infection, and (rarely) maternal death. Abortion facilities which are ill-equipped to handle the complications signif-
icantly increase the danger to women’s health.
Earlier this month, Dr. Rapin Osathanondh plead guilty to manslaughter in the botched abortion death of 22-year-old Laura Smith. His abortion office lacked resuscitation equipment, and Osathanondh failed to monitor Smith’s vital signs. The Virginia Board of Health has not only the right, but the duty, to ensure that this type of incident does not happen in our state.
Abortion proponents would sacrifice women like Laura Smith at the altar of “access.” For this, they should be stripped of any feminist credentials.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, abortion is not your only choice. Call 1-800-395-HELP (x4357) for a local referral to an ob/gyn who complies with commonsense safety measures.
Kelsey Hazzard
Charlottesville
In the joint
In response to “Roll with it” [March 9], I thought it would be relevant to inform you that I am writing this letter as a 21-year-old inmate at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
On April 27, I was sentenced to five years and six months for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, even though the manner that my three ounces was packaged did not imply distribution. Five years of my sentence was suspended on the terms I serve six months, complete three years probation and behave myself for five years after my release.
Distribution charges are classified by weight and the category I fall into covers weights between a half ounce and five pounds. For reference, a half ounce of Mexican origin pot has a street value of $75 in Charlottesville. Five pounds of high quality, British Columbia origin pot is worth at least $20,000. That’s a heck of a category.
A lot of inmates are here for pot, and it’s not helping the overcrowding problem. It’s so crowded that it took two days of repeatedly asking before the guards could find me a blanket. An inmate who was burned working in the kitchen had to sit in a waiting room for half an hour with me before the nurse could see him.
Needless to say, legalizing pot would save a lot of problems in the Commonwealth’s justice and custodial systems. Personally, I think our rights were violated when pot, alcohol and other psychoactives became punishable by jail.
Although I think attitudes in Virginia, and especially Albemarle/Charlottesville, are changing, I don’t think the county would be “ready” to legalize if it were put to a vote today.
Jordan McNeish
Charlottesville