Abortion, Supreme Court and Holy War?

The Supreme Court’s decision that abortion is a woman’s right was a great disappointment to the Religious Right who have for years attacked, disrespected and humiliated those seeking an abortion or birth control. In particular they have targeted Planned Parenthood and in Washington the Republicans shut down our government to avoid funding them!

The Supreme Court has become the referee between women’s rights and religious conscience. The Separation of Church and State is no longer steadfast. Our laws deem men and women as equals but no longer apply. Men have the freedom to choose their health care. Women do not.

Sadly, religion has divided the United States. There are “Red” states controlled by Republicans enacting laws against women and abortion and “Blue” states where progress is not impeded by religion.

Will this Supreme Court ruling help women in “red” States facing years in jail for causing a miscarriage? In Indiana a woman was jailed for a year for attempting suicide while she was pregnant. In Indiana a woman is facing 20 years in prison after she took pills to end her pregnancy!

The Religious Right will fight this Supreme Court decision and continue harassing those who seek affordable health care at Planned Parenthood. They will continue to enact laws to force women to give birth.

Religious teachings and beliefs run deep and terrible things are done in God’s name. The ISIS holy war waged as a “religious duty.” Might the war against abortion be called a holy war? Abortion was made legal to save women’s lives and to keep families intact, supported by clergy. Pope Francis has criticized the church for putting dogma before love and for prioritizing moral doctrines over serving the poor and marginalized.

The Republican Party supports the ban on all abortions and promises the elimination of Roe v. Wade by electing Republicans to the Senate who will support anti-abortion conservatives to the Supreme Court. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, said that women who have abortions should be punished.

Recently in Paraguay where abortion is illegal, an 11-year-old girl who had been raped and impregnated was forced by the government to give birth. She was denied an abortion. Is this what we want for the United States?

Gene Proctor,

West Bath

Time to Hold Brunswick Council to Account

I was stunned to read that the Town of Brunswick recently purchased retail/surface space at 88 Pleasant St.! This at the same time the council debates providing public access to a Mere Point property acquired from non-payment of taxes — and cost estimates for a new school in a prime residential area continue to increase.

Does no one realize the impact such decisions have on taxpayers? Property taxes continue to increase, but many citizens have flat or falling incomes. It’s time for a change!

Brunswick could increase the tax base and re-coup losses from some poor decisions in the past.

First, stop spending on the extras! If the town needs a seaside picnic/swim area, work with the state to develop space at the public launch for that purpose. Sell the Mere Point property on the open market (and not to another non-profit).

Then, re-consider the location of the new school. Sell the Jordan Acres site to developers. Let them pay for demolition and build new housing. I see large empty space near the rec center at Brunswick Landing. What better place to locate a new school for children? Put the kids near the center to which they cannot drive!

I challenge this newspaper and/or the town council to make public a complete list of town-owned properties and their current use. Let taxpayers see what percent of total property is owned by the town and how that figure compares with other communities.

In deciding how to spend our hardearned money, the town council should ask “Is this necessary? Or is it just nice?” Our children need a new school, but we can certainly make do without a Mere Point picnic area where swimming isn’t even possible at low tide.

I am thankful that the town council is not in charge of redevelopment of the former BNAS. Kudos to Steve Levesque and others for smart thinking and good work.

Anne Wescott Dodd,

Brunswick

MRRA, NNEPRA Draining Taxpayer’s Pocketbook

Have you ever noticed how our government corporations such as The Downeaster and Brunswick Landing tout their supposed successes but they never tell you how much the taxpayer has contributed to these so called successes?

Just this past week the Downeaster claimed over 35,000 “riders” in the month of May. With two round trips a day for 31 days that works out to over 280 passengers each way 4 times a day. I don’t know about you but I have never seen anywhere near this numbers of people waiting in Portland or Brunswick to catch a train so where do these numbers come from? With a price tag of a borrowed $50 million at 5 percent for the track upgrade from Portland to Brunswick and the maintenance shed and a $20 one way ticket price 31 percent of all revenue is eaten up in debt service before one even considers the cost of rolling stock, wages, salaries and benefits and maintenance and fuel.

Brunswick Landing has filled The Times Record with its self-proclaimed successes not the least of which is the Mölnlycke pharmaceutical firm whose facility was built with $15 million borrowed by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority. By law Brunswick Landing is a public municipal corporation and as such is prohibited by law from borrowing more than $2 million without voter approval. Then, Brunswick Landing has no voters and, like its counterpart the railroad, does not have to obey the law.

As to the cost to the taxpayer for this state largess to private corporations I stopped counting two years ago when the direct grants to Brunswick Landing reached $250 million and this does not begin to count the lost revenue since these firms pay little or no profits tax or real estate tax. Leases and sales at well below market rates insure that Brunswick Landing and its ruler the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority will continue to attract even more success stories. They are so successful they have even won a prize for being the best at spending the taxpayer’s money.

Fred Blanchard,

Brunswick