Common practice
Rosemary Martin
Saturday, October 28, 2006
PHIL DILLON’S OP-ED article in the Emporia Gazette Oct. 18 was clearly on target. He notes Dr. Coldsmith’s objection to using abortion as a birth control method (“When Does Life Begin?” Oct. 9), but abortion is more commonly used as a birth control measure than most will admit.
Thirty years ago, when I was a young married woman and a patient of Dr. Coldsmith’s, his nurse called me with the news that my pregnancy test was positive. Imagine my excitement for my first baby. Dr. Coldsmith’s nurse asked me if I planned to continue or terminate the pregnancy. The uneasiness of that question gave me good reason to change doctors with my next pregnancy. It seemed standard with the notice of pregnancy. Even in a non-crisis situation, the option was offered — and in such a nonchalant way. A baby’s life, especially in the womb when they are most vulnerable, is taken so lightly.
Rosemary Martin
Hartford