Legislatureās move on abortion decried, supported
Re: āMake Roe v. Wade irrelevant,ā March 20 editorial
The abortion debate is painted as āā¦this clash between personal bodily autonomy and ethical concerns.ā If that is indeed the case, then the personal bodily autonomy for both bodies should be taken into account; that of the mother and of the baby.
A popular mantra of our times is āfollow the science.ā That seems to hold true for climate change and COVID but not for abortion. Science has confirmed that at the moment of conception the genetic makeup of the cells is complete; therefore, abortion is dealing with two separate humans, each with separate, unique DNA.
Colorado House Bill 1279 states āa fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of this state.ā
This bill is denying a fundamental human right to life. Life does not come from a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus. A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus is life. These are stages of human development just as infant, toddler, teenager and adult are stages of human development.
The only difference between a premature baby born at 26 weeks and a 32-week-old baby still in the womb is location. One has rights and to intentionally end that life would be considered murder. Yet to end the life of the one still in the womb is deemed perfectly OK.
When the pregnancy is wanted, the parents will talk about and to their baby and even name him or her; when it is an unwanted pregnancy, it is nothing more than a blob of tissue to be discarded. Unfortunately only one is taken into consideration with callous disregard for the other.
Wayne Hellwig, Westminster
The real path to making Roe v. Wade — and by implication a womanās right to an abortion ā irrelevant isnāt by passing legislation guaranteeing the right to abortion (although that is one aspect). Rather, it is by making birth control accessible and affordable to anyone and by ensuring that every child learns about human reproduction, birth control methods, and consent. These efforts go a long way towards empowering people to make good decisions and have proven to reduce the overall demand for abortion. Let¶¶Ņõap legislate towards a time when abortion is legal, safe and exceedingly rare.
R. Norman, Wheat Ridge
I couldnāt agree with The Post more. Let¶¶Ņõap make Roe irrelevant. But my vision is strikingly different than yours. Rather than pitting the lives of our preborn children against the social and economic needs of women, we should systematically address the drivers of unplanned pregnancies and the barriers to continuing pregnancies, especially for low-income women and women of color.
It is time we abandon the fiction that sex can be reliably separated from procreation. When 13-21% of sexually active women using barrier contraceptive methods, 4-7% on an oral contraceptive pill, and 1% using IUDs become pregnant each year, their preborn children should not be collateral damage. Comprehensive sex education should stress this reality, and delayed sexual initiation should be an explicit goal.
Abortion should not be treated as a default contraceptive method.
Families, communities, businesses, and the government should all step up their efforts to support pregnant women with unplanned pregnancies. Paid family leave is coming to Colorado. However, we also need to address the scarcity of affordable daycare and the urgency of a living wage. High Schools and colleges should follow Title IX guidelines for pregnant students. Businesses need to ensure womenās equality by making accommodations for pregnancy with flexible work schedules and opportunities for career advancement. The government should pass legislation that rewards businesses that create innovative pathways for pregnant women and penalizes businesses that donāt.
Let¶¶Ņõap make Roe irrelevant by making abortion unnecessary.
Thomas J. Perille, Englewood
Re: āTestimony from Archbishop Samuel Aquila in Opposition of Colorado HB 22-1229,ā March 22 advertisement paid for by the Archdiocese of Denver
Dear Archbishop,
I respect your right to hold the views that you do. And I agree with some of your views — such as the belief that āhuman life is a giftā and that āeach human being is a unique creation.ā I hope you can respect my right to hold other views different from yours.
You believe life begins at conception. I believe life begins no sooner than the time a fetus can survive outside the womb.
My husband and I suffered at least seven miscarriages. In those seven instances, heartbeats were detected, and then they stopped. We were heartbroken. We still grieve the loss of the possibility of seven babies. But we never confused the possibility of a baby with the actuality of a baby. I believe God had another plan that would lead us to adopt our wonderful son.
When you describe your time working in hospitals, witnessing two abortions, you say, āpowerful people made decisions that ended the lives of small, powerless children,ā I believe you are mistaken. The women made the decision. Iām certain they did not feel powerful. The government only ensured that the women had the right to make the decision.
The government ensuring that right is the only way you and I can hold different beliefs. If your belief is imposed on me by the government, then the government would be standing in place of God. My fervent hope is that the government will continue to ensure the right for women to control their own bodies and not try to be God.
Randi Lewis, Denver
Does valedictorian designation matter?
Re: āCherry Creek redefines valedictorian as mediocrity,ā March 20 commentary
George Brauchlerās criticism of Cherry Creek schoolsā plan to eliminate class rank and valedictorians raises the question of the purpose of K-12 education. When schools focus on choosing winners and losers, rather than being a springboard for all kids, they simply reinforce the existing class hierarchy in our society. Parentsā levels of education and wealth become the best predictor of student ranking. Conversely, when principals agree to abolish class rank and valedictorians, they are boldly proclaiming that it is their primary purpose to educate all students — not to sort them.
When schools rank students, teachers become gatekeepers, and classrooms become competitions. The stress can be intense. According to a Pew Research report, 96% of teens view anxiety and depression among their peers as a problem. And the main cause, more than double any other, is pressure to get good grades. In a state where 17.5% of students said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to the 2019 Healthy Kids survey, this move by Cherry Creek could, quite literally, be a lifesaver.
An excellent school is not one that ranks students from top to bottom. That takes little particular expertise. An excellent school is one whose diploma, rather than being a āparticipation ribbon,ā becomes a ticket to a place at the table — indicating its students are prepared to be engaged citizens, skilled problem solvers, and emotionally healthy humans. An excellent school ensures that each student, whatever their background, is equipped to contribute, collaborate, and, yes, even compete.
Tony Winger, Littleton
Balderdash! Exactly on with the editorialist¶¶Ņõap commentary.
Just one more classic example of societyās descent into mediocrity. That which seeks to lump everyone to the lowest common denominator! Such as the giving of ātrophiesā to all participants, simply for being there!
Why not declare every student a valedictorian and make everyone happy — except those who seek to be better. (Used to be an American goal).
Seems to me (Iām 84) that our āeducators,ā amongst others, have taken leave of any common sense that they might previously have possessed.
Douglas M. Monsoor, Spring Hill, Fla.
The recent news reports that Cherry Creek High School is removing its valedictorian award for the class of 2026 with their statement, āWe believe all students can learn at high levels, and learning is not a competition,ā hits home.
Regretfully, my Alabama high school was only about football. I played for four years in the late 1960s, but many didnāt for different reasons. I only made the A and B honor roll for one semester but started on the prestigious varsity team as a fatherless son. Academics gave the non-team boys a place to showcase their competitive spirits.
Does this mean that CCHS will remove all scoreboards from their sporting events?
Mike Sawyer, Denver
āT“Ē³¾²¹³Ł“Ē±š²õā
We thought we were getting away with something
When the September snows forgot to fall
And the big green orbs
Dangling uncannily from their spindly vines
Were allowed to swell and ripen as long as they pleased.
āCherokee purple. Indeterminate, 85 days. Delicious sliced or roasted.ā
These are the types of details I would scratch into my gardening journal were it not now part of the ash heap of my home.
And I think
Maybe we donāt ever actually get away with anything at all.
Robyn Nordstrom Lane, Louisville
Editorās note: Nordstrom Lane lost her home on the south side of Harper Lake in Louisville in the Marshall fire.
Peace has a price
In the past three decades, many knowledgeable people have cautioned against the expansion of NATO eastward, seeing in that a potential security dilemma for Russia. Many warned that expansion would encourage nationalist forces.
Undoubtedly NATO expansion has helped Russian President Vladimir Putin consolidate his power.
Putinās brutality notwithstanding, the security concerns he gives voice to are not contrived. Therefore, if we hope to avert the worst for the Ukrainian people, the United States needs to support a viable neutrality for Ukraine and accept the permanent loss of Crimea and probably the two breakaway provinces as well.
The costs of this war are high for Putin, probably much higher than he anticipated. Those costs, and a modest security gain, as spelled out above, just might induce Putin to stop his awful war.
It is easy to imagine far worse outcomes.
Todd Buchanan, Eldora
The service of journalists
Re: āUnder fire — The service, sacrifice and patriotism of journalists,ā March 20 commentary
My thanks to John Ferrugia for his article regarding reporters who go into dangerous situations to keep us informed of world happenings.
My late husband, John OāKearney, risked his life many times as a foreign correspondent for a New York newspaper and as a reporter for the combat edition of The Stars and Stripes during World War II.
When I hear anyone — and especially former President Donald Trump ā describe the media as āenemies of the people,ā it makes my blood boil.
Except for John Kelly, I doubt that any of them have been near a battlefield.
We know Kellyās former boss hasnāt, and heās the one who started the insult to those who lost their lives to keep us informed and to keep democracy alive. Let¶¶Ņõap thank them for their service, starting with John Ferrugia.
Sylvia OāKearney, Aurora
Learning through debate
Re: āThe problem with campus ādebate,ā ā March 13 commentary
Professor Seth Masket provides no evidence to back up his claim that āvery little learning occursā at Steamboat Institute campus debates. In fact, our Campus Liberty Tour college debates regularly change student perspectives on critical issues facing the country.
Our pre- and post-debate surveys indicate that a sizable portion of the audience changes their outlook because of the discussions. In post-debate testimonials, attendees frequently note they have never thought of a given issue that way before.
This debate learning isnāt a surprise, as the students who attend Steamboat Instituteās debates affirm enthusiastically. English philosopher John Stuart Mill noted, āHe who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.ā Perhaps the reason Masket opposes debate is because his arguments wouldnāt withstand the scrutiny that robust and respectful debate provide. That¶¶Ņõap certainly the case for his claim that Steamboat Institute debate ādoesnāt deepen student¶¶Ņõap knowledge.ā
Jennifer Schubert-Akin, Steamboat Springs
Editorās note: Schubert-Akin is chairman and CEO of Steamboat Institute.
Support Ukraine at the pump
Re: āTreasury secretary says suspension of the federal gas tax is on the table,ā March 12 news story
The state is pushing to suspend the federal gas tax, but I donāt think that¶¶Ņõap the appropriate thing to do. I can handle higher gas prices, as can most of my friends. It emphasizes our support for Ukraine and our total lack of support for the crimes that Russia is committing. However, many families are struggling to make ends meet, and this just increases their burden. How about a state gas tax credit for low-income families instead?
Kathy Derrick, Denver
Putin not all that savvy
Next-door neighbor Ukraine will now hate Russians for decades. Thousands of people are dead. NATO will be much stronger in the future. What a āsavvy genius.ā
Bill Naylor, Denver
Disrespectful Congress members
Iām sure most people who have watched the examination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson by members of Congress are appalled by the rude behavior the āgentlemenā have displayed. It strikes me as “paybackā after the hearings where President Donald Trumpās nominees were also attacked. Now it¶¶Ņõap turnabout, and the Republicans are getting even, or trying to.
It shouldnāt matter which party they belong to. We need to treat people with respect and courtesy and be good role models for those who are watching. These members of Congress need to follow the Golden Rule! If we all did that, things would have different outcomes. Treat others the way you would want to be treated!
Georgia Wagner, Brighton
HOA board isnāt the enemy
Re: āHOA ļ¬led 50 foreclosures,ā March 12 news story
I have served on an HOA board for a number of years. The media loves to publish a story about how a big, bad HOA board is picking on an innocent resident. When an individual purchases a home in a covenant-controlled community, they sign a legal document stating that they have read the covenants and agree to abide by them.
These covenants cover a variety of things: pets, RVs, trash cans, junk cars, etc. All covenants are different. But often residents decide those rules apply to āeveryone else, but not me.ā
It is the responsibility of an HOA board to enforce those rules. There are also very specific rules about warnings, penalties and consequences for not following the rules.
Every one of those homeowners could have avoided any monetary penalties by simply taking care of the violation after the warnings. Once there are penalties that are not paid, it gets very expensive.
I feel very certain that there will be no āforeclosureā on the property, just liens that will be settled when the property is sold. In cases where the property is a rental, the owner is responsible for enforcing the rules. The media needs to present both sides of the story, not just the story that gets the most sympathy and attention. HOA board members have the most āthankless jobā there is, with no compensation and the media that loves to depict them as big, bad villains.
Bernice Aspinwall, Westminster
Donāt replace food with wine
Re: āKeeping liquor out of grocery stores good for state,ā March 11 commentary
Chris Fine pointed out a number of really good reasons to keep wine out of grocery stores. All of the arguments are good. However, there are two more things to consider. First, the quality and variety of the wine will never be as good because the large wholesale vendors will mainly represent the large producers.
For me, however, there is another important argument that no one has made. Many of our grocery stores are finite size. We already have lost at least an aisle to beer. Wine can be expected to probably take up two or more, if you judge from other states where they sell wine in the grocery stores. The amount and variety of food is limited in our area, and with the addition of wine sales, it will be even more so.
Elaine Morse, Evergreen
Time for developers to cut grass
Re: ā āMegadroughtā in the West,ā Feb. 15 news story; āNeed for water,ā Feb. 27 news story; and, āState: Save water; cut lawns from yards,ā March 12 news story.
Water is clearly an important topic to all of us in Colorado and the West.
Recently there have been three front-page articles with this focus regarding the current megadrought, the proposal to pipe water from the San Luis Valley to Douglas County, and legislation to pay people to rip out their existing Kentucky bluegrass lawns and replace them with native and low-water plants.
I fully support removing existing water-thirsty lawns in commercial and residential settings. But what about new developments? It doesnāt help that thousands of houses are being built around the state where the contractors will slap one tree in the middle of a postage-stamp-sized front lawn and lay down Kentucky bluegrass sod everywhere else. This makes the landscaping inexpensive for them in the short term, but we all pay the price in the long term.
We should all be more forward-thinking in our water usage. Developers should be required to plan their communities and landscaping to reflect current drought and long-term water projections. This way Colorado can continue to grow without making the water problems worse than they are.
Tanya Rinebarger, Centennial
Open mountain express lanes
Re: āDrivers in closed express lanes face new ļ¬nes under bill signed by governor,ā March 16 news story
Jon Murrayās story reported that House Bill 1074 allows for the fining of people for using the Interstate 70 mountain express lanes when they are closed. This is troubling to me.
I specifically enrolled in ExpressToll so I could drive in the new express lanes and have yet to drive in them: Every time I drive this mountain corridor, these lanes are closed!
Why? CDOT spent good money and a lot of time to build these lanes to have them closed much of the time. Really?
The answer to this issue is to open the lanes all the time and riders will pay the toll.
From the article, there were 47,828 drivers who used the lane when it was closed. If it was open and you were charging $10 a car, then the state would have made almost half a million dollars? Would this not make sense vs. creating a bill to charge drivers for driving in a closed lane that should be open? We need some critical thinking here instead of bureaucracy!
Bill Walp, Aurora
Grateful to COGCC
Re: āState rejects Kerr-McGee drilling plan near homes,ā March 11 business story
I live in the neighborhood directly to the east of Kerr-McGeeās proposed Longs Peak oil and gas development. My career was in state government for more than 40 years and I have observed numerous state board or commission hearings throughout my career.
I attended both the Feb. 16 and March 10 Longs Peak hearings at the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and I was really impressed with how the commissioners conducted the hearings. They listened carefully and patiently to all presenters and public comments. They asked great questions and thoroughly evaluated how this proposal did or did not meet laws and regulations for siting a facility in a populated area.
On March 10, I heard several people express an opinion that a decision to deny the proposal was a statement against oil development in Colorado generally or energy independence for the U.S. I disagree.
This was a narrowly scoped decision on whether or not a large oil production facility built in a highly developed area (with over 60 homes within 2,000 feet of the site) was sufficiently protective of public and environmental health. After careful analysis and thoughtful discussion, the commission decided it was in the public interest to deny this proposal consistent with the 2019 Senate Bill 181 and the stateās mission to prioritize protections for public health, safety and welfare.
I thank the commission for their work listening to the impacted community and appreciate the difficult decision they made.
Steven Colvin, Firestone
Innovation schools put children first; donāt undo that
Re: āDPS is wrong to attack critical school innovations,ā March 16 commentary
As a member of the parent and teacher team who worked on the application for innovation status for Grant Beacon Middle School over a decade ago, I applaud the Grant educators and members of the DCTA who authored Wednesdayās guest commentary.
They are concerned about the ongoing threats to innovation schools like Grant perpetrated by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and sympathetic members of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. Next week, the DPS Board will vote on the proposal for āstandard teachers rightsā or Executive Limitation policy, which would effectively gut the ability of schools with innovation status to achieve their mission.
More than 10 years ago, more and more families were sending their children to the shiny, new middle schools with the fancy-sounding acronyms like DSST and DCIS and our neighborhood schools suffered as a result. Our SE Denver community felt we had no choice but to request innovation status for Grant Beacon Middle School so that its teachers would have the freedom and flexibility to leverage their creativity to provide the middle school experience we wanted for our children.
The teachers overwhelmingly voted to approve the proposal and they have approved it every three years when we submit the innovation plan renewal application. Delegations from school districts around the country have come to observe Grant¶¶Ņõap approach to education. DPS should be showcasing this success story, but instead they would rather torpedo it at the behest of the DCTA.
Nick Bottinelli, Denver
An hour, give or take?
Re: āMomentum gaining for clock lockdown,ā March 17 news story
I am amazed by all of the angst portrayed about changing clocks twice a year with more people apparently annoyed by losing an hour of sleep in the spring. Are these people incapacitated when they travel to a different time zone?
Eliminating daylight saving time in Colorado would result in sunrises at 4:30 a.m. on some summer days! While this may turn into a moot point if the federal government passes legislation to permanently stay on daylight saving time, Iām not in favor of either option.
Doesnāt anyone stay up an hour later on occasion and lose an hour of sleep? Iām sure there are more critical items both state and federal legislators should be addressing.
Midge Miller, Aurora
We should be ending daylight saving time, not making it permanent. Mornings have been miserable for our family as we wake up in the darkness. I canāt imagine having to do this all winter. If weāre not going to move our clocks, then standard time makes more sense. Our clocks should read 12 p.m. as close to solar noon as possible.
Adam Behrman, Thornton
The politicians proposing permanent daylight saving time donāt get that the problem isnāt the change; it¶¶Ņõap daylight saving time. If theyād follow the science, theyād learn that:
ā¢ as Michael Downing, author of āSpring Forward,ā has found, rather than saving energy, āDaylight saving increases gasoline consumption.ā
ā¢ the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that DST has negative effects on health and well-being.
ā¢ sleep scientists say that standard time is more closely aligned with the sunās progression; bright mornings help people wake up, and dark nights allow for the production of melatonin, the hormone that triggers sleep.
Even worse, in this time of COVID, the mismatch between our internal clock and DST can disrupt the immune system.
Mark Cohen, Denver
It is a noble profession
Re: āFormer public defenders facing scrutiny,ā March 17 news story
As a former deputy Colorado state public defender for over a generation, none of my colleagues and I had a choice about who we defended. The mission we signed on to was to let no one be deprived of their Constitutional right to the best representation possible, not to pick and choose among ānobleā or otherwise well-heeled defendants. Out of thousands of clients, there were only a handful of sociopaths who tested my resolve, but I worked just as hard for them. I will apologize to no one for standing up to a monolithic state on behalf of every indigent accused who came my way.
If you donāt like what I did, or simply donāt get it, try reading in the New Testament about that guy who gave his life standing up for the poor and oppressed. He was criticized, even by some of his disciples. āHow can you defend those people?ā Make a bit more sense now?
J. Brandeis Sperandeo, Denver
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