LETTER: Time for a declaration for women

Let us first go back in history to Virginia's Declaration of Rights during the fifth Virginia Convention of May 1776. It consisted of 16 articles with the first one apparently written by George Mason. Article I: "All men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights of which they cannot derive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."

The second paragraph of the U.S. Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

The basic reason why the second paragraph of the U.S. Declaration of Independence could not be considered in our U.S. Constitution is because apparently only white men are created equal with no mention of Black men or any women at all. During that time in our history all Black people were considered property/slaves. Is now the time that all U.S. women be given "A Declaration of a Woman's Right to an Abortion?"

From a woman's point of view, what is "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" Every individual woman has the right to life, and if her life is in danger by not having an abortion, she needs to have the right to choose the abortion or not. Many people believe that there should be no laws that would deny her the right to choose an abortion.

The word "liberty" for all women means just that. Liberty to lead life the way they want and the profession they may decide on without any discrimination. Liberty was denied too long in a woman's right to vote.

The words "the pursuit of happiness": All women should have the right to their pursuit of happiness, and if that means that an abortion is needed to achieve that, should she have the right to that decision?

In the past 50 years, women were able to have an abortion and it was not against the law to do so. The decision by the Supreme Court has determined now that women are not given the right to abortion per the U.S. Constitution. A majority of American people believe that U.S. women do have the right to choose an abortion if they believe that is what is needed in their life, liberty and pursuit to happiness.

"A Declaration of Women's right to an Abortion" would need to be written in plain language if Congress does pass it into law. There will be no laws denying any women the right to an abortion. There will be no laws against any organization providing abortion services. There will be no laws against any doctor that provides abortion services. Any organization that provides reproductive services to all women; also, there will be no laws that will deny these organizations to exist or operate.

After reviewing this past history, is no the time for U.S. Congress to pass into law "A Declaration of a Woman's Right to an Abortion for their life, liberty and pursuit to happiness?

Thomas E. Carter

Rio Rancho