LETTERS: PARENTS MUST FACE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY

To the editor:

Long before Rowe vs. Wade, a young couple fell in love, settled down and decided to get married. After feeling a little emptiness in their lives, they planned to have a family. They went to her physician, and he said with excitement that she was with child. Needless to say, euphoria completely surrounded the room at the thought that they were going to be parents for the first time.

As time went on, the soon-to-be parents would listen for the sounds and feel the movements of the baby inside her. They had extended discussions about whether the baby would look like the father or the mother, when it would crawl, walk or utter its first words. Then a baby girl was born. There were overwhelming tears of joy. As time went on, the little girl grew up and fell in love. After being married for a while, she and her husband went to the doctor for a physical and was horrified when the doctor informed her she had a fetus growing inside her.

The doctor went on to say that the mother had a choice. He said, "We can operate and take the fetus. It's no different than an appendix. Or you can carry it until nature partially takes its course and then surgically remove it. Or you can let nature run its full course. She knew how painful it was when she had her appendix removed. So she decided that she would let nature take its full course. Within a matter of minutes, a metamorphosis took place. The fetus was transformed into a beautiful child. One minute a fetus, the next a child.

We as parents must make a choice to teach our children right from wrong. Moral and ethical values are not inherited. They are taught at home. This is not only the duty of religious parents, but non-religious parents must share the same responsibilities for the degradation of our human race.

We cannot depend on our public officials. Our governors today and those 2,000 years ago are synonymous with Herod and Pilate, who chose to wash their hands of the issue. They were probably not bad or ruthless people, they just needed a job.

So we need to work tirelessly to seek and change the hearts and minds of our young people today. Remember, it takes more than a village. It takes a loving family.

JEROME SEYER

Cape Girardeau