Position not a priority

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To the Editor:
Too narrow a perspective can have both comic and potentially sad effects.  A recent letter took columnist Tony Magliano to task for not listing abortion at the top of a list of issues of concern. If the position on a list has utmost importance, then either God or Moses got it wrong in listing “Thou shall not kill” so far down on the list of Commandments.
While I am sure the writer did not intend this, her comment raises unaddressed questions. If being first on the list means that this must be the primary, if not exclusive concern, then are we to accept all other causes of premature death or suffering until that is addressed? Perhaps the comment was a political statement without other considerations.
Example:  infant mortality, death of an infant in its first year, is tragic. Adequate health care for pregnant mothers and the infants would prevent many of these deaths, and better care during delivery or for those with birth defects would save even more.  Despite our being the richest nation, the World Health Organization says there are only five or six nations with worse infant mortality rates.
Is it appropriate to work on this and other threats to the life and development of children, or are they off the table until there is a legislative/legal solution to abortion? What if one party is anti-abortion and the other supports improved health care?
Glenn Leach
St. Ann Parish, Long Grove


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