Act protects women’s rights, expands access

Steve Kelley’s Feb. 1 political cartoon depicting a woman from “the left” asking a pregnant woman in her third trimester about her “decision date” is a gross misrepresentation of New York’s recent passage of the Reproductive Health Act and similar bills emerging nationwide. In truth, this act protects existing abortion rights and expands access to abortion when a woman’s life is in danger and in cases when the fetus has anomalies incompatible with life.

As comprehensive reproductive health care providers, we care for women every day, each with her own story. We care for the woman with the late diagnosis that her baby will never survive outside the womb. We care for the woman who was sexually assaulted. We care for the woman with heart failure, whose pregnancy could kill her. We care for the woman who is struggling to provide for her current children. We care for women from all walks of life, religions and political backgrounds. But even with the incredible diversity of the patients we care for, there is one thing that they all share: They have made their decisions for abortion thoughtfully, out of compassion and love.

Mr. Kelley’s cartoon makes a mockery of these courageous women.

We respect the range of views that people have about abortion and we support political cartoons that spark intelligent conversation. Publishing material that is offensive does not promote intelligent discourse. Rather, it serves to perpetuate a culture of misogyny and discrimination that has no place in our community. KAVITA VINEKAR

Lawrenceville

This letter was also signed by Grace Ferguson, Sharon Achilles, Catherine Chappell, Beatrice Chen, Colleen Krajewski and Sheila Ramgopal.