LETTERS: WHAT WOULD MOTHER TERESA SAY?

To the editor:

I must interpret Governor Carnahan's open letter published in the Sunday Southeast Missourian as indicative of a desperate man. It seems clear that Mr. Carnahan can sense that the majority of Missouri's people oppose his veto of our Legislature's law to ban partial-birth abortions.

As a family physician who has delivered babies and as a citizen of Missouri, I must address two egregious assertions contained in the governor's letter. First, some (perhaps the governor himself) still remain deceived about the true nature of partial-birth abortions. Mr. Carnahan declares, as do most of those who support partial-birth abortions, that this procedure is sometimes necessary to save a mother's life or to preserve her health. This is simply not true. There are always other alternatives to partial-birth abortions in those exceedingly rare cases he cites. The mother's health issues is but a ruse to drive into the ban a fatal crack with would provide a convenient place to hide for those who perform the procedure, a potentially limitless exception they might invoke so as to continue their practice as before. Simply put, partial-birth abortion is a gruesome procedure to get rid of an unwanted baby late in pregnancy.

Second, Mr. Carnahan makes it very plain he would remove "politics" and "government" completely from considerations about the legislation concerning partial-birth abortions. Is it not strange that this comes from one who has no qualms about granting taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood, historically the leading provider of "abortion services" in our nation? Apparently, then, it's fine for government to be involved, just as long as it is in support of those who share Mr. Carnahan's viewpoint and who have contributed liberally to his past campaigns and to his political party.

The chief executive officer's letter was also, of course, published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and its providential layout in that newspaper was quite remarkable. Mr. Carnahan's self-defense was printed on the inside of the back page of the Post's editorial section. On the front page of that same section, there appeared a story about Mother Teresa, she who devoted her life to an unflinching stand for the sacredness of human life. I could not help but wonder what she would have to say to our governor.

JAMES L. FLETCHER JR. M.D.

Cape Girardeau