To the editor: The rant by Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, and its counterargument making the rounds, are bizarre. The response shouldn’t be “but I tried to have a baby” or “I chose not to have a baby.” It should be, “My worth stands separate from reproduction.” (“Can Kamala Harris and an army of ‘childless cat ladies’ overcome Republicans’ sexism?” Opinion, July 28)
But that’s not what I’m hearing.
Everything that’s being said is being said about women, not men. It’s as though women are islands unto themselves when it comes to having or not having children, but it’s not a solo sport. In all cases, a man is involved.
There are many reasons a woman is childless, and often it’s not due to a woman’s infertility, but rather a man’s inability to reproduce or simply his choice.
Don’t defend your decision to have or not have children. Defend your worth as a human being. Using kids to pin women down is a practice that’s been around since time began.
And I’d bet that more than half of all abortions are done at the suggestion of a man. So if there’s punishment awaiting those aborting unwanted pregnancies, then both men and women should be burned at the stake, not just the woman.
Lisa Harmon, Yakima, Wash.
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To the editor: I agree with columnist Robin Abcarian that some of the things that are being said about Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, are just plain stupid.
I would advise Vance to say, “My bad,” over his “cat ladies” comments post haste. But if Abcarian thinks that playing the “sexist and racist” card is going to defeat former President Trump in November, she’s badly mistaken.
My feeling is that the American public in general is tired of all of this name calling by both parties. What the “regular voter” wants is to tell the two parties this: It’s the economy, stupid.
Mark Walker, Yorba Linda
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To the editor: To Vance and all others who think child-free women are “miserable” and unworthy of an equal vote, I say this — my capacity for compassion is not limited by my genetic “stake” in our country’s future.
My imagination and empathy allow me to see the value of others’ lives, whether they are white, Christian, heterosexual or U.S.-born, or whether they fit in a gender binary or not.
I believe in others’ rights to contribute to our society however they see fit, even if not one drop of the same blood runs through our veins.
And come November, I’ll cast my vote hoping to ensure our country does not find itself governed by people whose hearts and minds are closed to the worth of anyone different from them.
Susana Brower, Riverside
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To the editor: Hey, Sen. Vance, it’s me, childless cat lady. You got one thing really wrong: I’m not miserable.
In fact, I’m having a joyful time writing a check to Kamala Harris for President.
Melanie Hinson, San Pedro