This page was last updated on March 29, 2012.
Government should not invade private lives; Dan Cogley; Beaver County Times; March 29, 2012.
Previous letters from Mr. Cogley I critiqued were “Why vote Republican,” “We need more Democrats,” “Try trickle-up effect,” “Elderly will be hit under GOP policies,” “Let politicians try unemployment,” and “Cuban missile déjà vu.” Letters from Mr. Cogley I didn’t critique include “Question in need of an answer” (4/7/11) and “Suggested cuts they won’t make” (3/14/11).
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“I sure am glad the Republicans are keeping the government out of our lives. Except for that one small little thing they wish to stick in the private parts of women to find out if there [sic] baby is able to be aborted. All women across America should cross their legs and tell those old Republican men to go pound salt.
“I believe abortion and contraceptives are the choice between women and their God. If there is a male figure in that woman’s life they should also have a say, but ultimately it is the woman’s choice. I also believe that we as American citizens, fathers and mothers, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters have raised these children to make whatever decision is right for them. The U.S. government more particularly the Republican Party should stay completely out of our personal lives when it comes to this decision. I believe the women of the United States in general and Pennsylvania particular should call their local representative and tell them to vote ‘no’ on the contraceptive bill. And then go out and vote those Republicans out of office for having the audacity to invade the private lives of its citizens.”
[RWC] I don’t know what “contraceptive bill” Mr. Cogley is writing about. It’s possible Mr. Cogley is referring to Pennsylvania bill H.B 1077 (Women’s Right-to-Know Act), but I found no mention of contraception in that bill. That bill is all about mandating an ultrasound test for women choosing to kill their unborn child.
Though I agree with the stated goal (making sure a woman seeking an abortion sees the unborn child is not just some mass), I have to admit I’m not in favor of government forcing a medical procedure on someone even in this circumstance. I wish folks like Mr. Cogley were as concerned about killing an unborn child as they claim to be about “the private lives of … citizens.”
When I read a letter from Mr. Cogley complaining about the financial “full body cavity search” we go through every year when we must detail every aspect of our finances for multiple levels of government (income taxes, property taxes, etc.) and the access to our healthcare records required by socialized healthcare programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare, SCHIP, et cetera, I’ll consider taking him seriously on the topic of privacy.
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