By conflating preference with morality, Amy Johnson tries to present as a good option the killing of an innocent unborn child, when in fact doing so harms both the child and the mother.

Amy writes that pro-choicers support a woman’s rights to have an abortion, “even if it’s [a choice] we would never make nor want our children to make.” Here, Amy confuses preferences with morality.

Suppose I cannot tolerate spicy foods. I can refrain from eating spicy foods, but I have no right to impose my dislike of spicy foods on others. This makes sense because my opinion of spicy food is a preference — it is mine and mine alone, and it is not prescriptive for others.

Morals, on the other hand, are prescriptive. It would be ludicrous for me to say, “I support a man’s right to abuse his wife, even though it’s something I would never do, nor want my children to do.” That is absurd, precisely because spousal abuse is not a matter of preference, but a matter of morality.

The same is true of abortion. If the slaughter of unborn children is moral, then Amy should have absolutely no qualms about procuring an abortion herself. But obviously she does have concerns about making that choice — she admits she would not do it. This suggests abortion is immoral, in which case Amy should not do it herself, nor should she encourage others to do it.

While those praying during the 40 Days of Life campaign certainly adhere to this second view that abortion is dangerous, in no way do they oppose the women seeking the procedure. In fact, they are there to help the women know that they have choices.

They do not have to undergo the invasive, dangerous procedure simply because their boyfriends or fathers forced them into the decision, or because they do not have the financial means to care for the child.

Those people of faith want the women to know that they are loved, and that the precious gifts they bear in their wombs are not cancers to be eradicated but humans who deserve nurturing and compassion. We stand for the unborn children and for their mothers.

Harold Geno, Federal Way