Let women have power over their bodies
To the editor:
The upcoming 51st anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision perennially sees protests against abortion throughout the country and state, but especially in Colorado Springs.
Although I understand Colorado Springs is far from a monolith on the issue of abortion rights, the city has historically had a strong anti-abortion stance compared to the rest of the state, strengthened in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer.
I believe that Colorado’s enshrining of the right to abortion last year was the right decision. Although there is no shortage of discussion on the issue and the arguments around it are well-known, I think there is a perspective that is often overlooked.
Whatever your views are on the morality or ethics of abortion, from a practical standpoint, it is a fact that the restriction of abortion takes options and power away from women.
The idea that another individual or group can be handed entirely unearned power over an individual’s right to make a decision – regardless of the decision’s merit – reinforces biased systems of power that often place women’s decisions in the hands of men, and always result in the erosion of individual agency. There will always be gray areas and situations where a blanket law is not sufficient, as the recent controversy surrounding the delay of the appeal to allow an abortion in Texas demonstrates.
There being no recourse for a woman in such situations makes the law insufficient. I don’t mean to argue that abortion is correct or incorrect under any particular set of circumstances – rather that the wholesale banning of abortion eliminates agency and gives others unearned control.
Colorado should continue to uphold the right to abortion, and let individual women take their own approaches to their situations.
Thank you,
Nicholas Gerjevic
Firefighter remembers her challenges to help others
To the editor and the community:
My friend, Elizabeth Guess, is a volunteer Manitou Springs firefighter. Last week, she posted she was getting her first passport. That’s not that big of a deal, but her reason, to be able to help fight fires internationally, is!
I asked her if I could send a letter to the editor about it. She said, “For getting a passport?” It’s not a big deal to her, as she would just “be doing my job.”
She mentioned what was a big deal to her. For the past seven years, she has been organizing gift bags for the homeless community. What makes this so special to her is that, at the age of 15, she became homeless.
For the next 13 years, she experienced homelessness on and off. She moved back to Manitou Springs in 2008 with her young son and rented a cabin. It was the first time she had a “home” since she was 15, she has been housed ever since.
Although she no longer worries about where she will sleep on these cold nights, she knows many others who are still out there. She knows what they’re going through.
Elizabeth puts together backpacks with items to make life a little easier for others. With bows on the backpacks, home-baked goodies and small gifts, they are true gifts. Elizabeth uses Facebook to generate donations, giving updates about the progress of the event, wanting to use social media for something good.
Guess, her son and other friends will assemble backpacks on Sunday, Dec. 17, at Manitou Springs City Hall starting at 9 a.m. Afterward, they’ll go into the community to hand them out.
If you have any warm clothing and/or blankets you could donate, please drop them off at the Manitou Art Center’s front desk, 513 Manitou Ave., until 4 p.m. Saturday.
This is what community and the holidays are about.
Annie Schmitt