Spitzer Intros RHAPP
To The Editor:

I am writing out of concern for women, girls and parents of New York state.

Governor [Eliot] Spitzer introduced the Reproductive Health and Privacy Act (RHAPP) under the guise of giving women all the freedom in the world to choose abortion without restriction. But the governor's extreme and far-reaching bill goes much farther than that.

RHPP takes away all parental consent laws concerning abortion. That's right. A girl as young as 12 could get an abortion from someone who is not even a doctor without the parents of this young girl (consent or being] told about it. This goes too far. A young girl cannot even get an aspirin in school without first asking her parents.

What's more dangerous is that the governor's abortion bill allows non-doctors to perform abortions without requiring the necessary emergency medical equipment or an assisting physician to be present at the time of the abortion. However, if a doctor or a hospital that has any moral objections to performing abortions refuses to execute the procedure, they can lose their operating license. This is not about free choice or the protection of women at all.

RHPP, if passed, would not protect women. It will put them and young girls at risk for severe health problems. To all New York state legislators, please vote no on RHPP.
Sincerely,
Major James and Colleen Nicholson
Bayville, New York