Freedom of personal choice

Regarding “Missouri lawmakers pass heartbeat and anti-abortion bill” (Nation/ World, Saturday): There has been a pattern among anti-abortion proponents to bolster their position by using such indices as the presence of a fetal heartbeat to draw the line between when an abortion is or isn’t permissible. Make no mistake: This is science being used to cloak the religious precept that “Thou shalt not kill.” In effect, these same advocates, using that precept, want to arrogate to themselves the right to force a specific moral choice on every U.S. female.

Unquestionably, there is a significant moral dimension to the decision to have an abortion. But, at heart, that decision has everything to do with the woman’s own personal moral code and ability to come to terms with her own Higher Power. That freedom of what amounts to an individual’s personal choice is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and in no sense belongs in the hands of someone else. Marty Adams, Houston