An Open Forum writer shared the moving story (“Pro-choice and Christian,” Feb. 24 letter to editor) of his pregnant mother’s life being saved by the doctor taking her baby, who lived only a few days. It is certainly not what any mother hopes for, but fortunately her life was saved. The writer goes on to build a pro-choice argument based upon his mother’s experience. But such a situation has little to do with the abortion issue. Virtually all pro-life people support all efforts to save the mother in life-and-death circumstances. If the child must be taken from the womb, every effort is made to save the baby as well. Should the child die in the process, it is an unfortunate and unintended consequence of saving the mother’s life — in other words, nothing like an elective abortion. (Successfully-aborted babies never live, even for a few days.) The writer’s mother endured this suffering 70 years ago; today’s advanced medical technologies make the need for such a choice very rare. Pro-life people support the dignity and protection of human life, which is exactly what the writer’s parents did.

Bill Poehler

Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life

Minneapolis