TNT letters: Abortion in cases of rape; covering cyclist deaths; aggressive panhandling
Abortion
In 1954, I turned 10 years-old, was in the 5th grade, and weighed less than 60 pounds. Fifth grade, just two years out of primary school. There was no Constitutional right to an abortion until 1973. But if I know anything, it is that had I been raped and impregnated at that age (or any age on their watch), my parents would have moved Heaven and earth to salvage my life and future. There would have been an abortion. My family and community would have had my back.
Overnight, little girl, teens — all women — woke up on June 24 to learn that, after 49 1/2 years, our Supreme Court, for the first time ever, eliminated a Constitutional right by overturning Roe v. Wade.
The first publicized consequential case foretelling the impact of this decision involves a raped, impregnated 10-year-old girl. Like more than half of our states, her home state is anti-abortion and now has jurisdiction over this little girl’s reproductive rights. No exceptions for rape or incest. Her home state was willing to move Heaven and earth to ensure that she would be forced to carry her rapist’s child for nine long, traumatic months.
What’s to come?
Glenna Lee Malanca, Gig Harbor
Bike safety
When is The News Tribune going to take bike-riding and pedestrian deaths more seriously? Your article about the 13-year-old killed in a crosswalk July 19 on Pacific Avenue is just another example of a strangely missing air of outrage in your reporting on these bike-riding and pedestrian deaths.
Why is the driver not being charged when a child was killed in a crosswalk? That child had parents that either witnessed the death or had to answer a horrifying knock at the door from a police chaplain. Having been in those shoes, when my husband was killed riding his bike, I can imagine how pained the grief-stricken family must feel about your casual reporting of this horrific event.
Not one of these bike-riding or pedestrian deaths in our city is tolerable. These deaths are preventable if we take collective action. Vision Zero, to reduce car speeds and deaths, can make a difference. Please call on city government to take faster action.
This child didn’t belong just to someone else’s family, they were a resident of our city. I’m outraged and want those responsible held accountable. We can’t fix this problem if we don’t all pull together.
Teena Johnson, Tacoma
Aggressive panhandling
It’s pretty much normal now traveling from point A to point B in the city and coming across a person sitting near the parking entrance to a store holding a sign that asks for donations. It’s a sign of the harsh times we are in. Everyone is feeling the pain of struggling to make ends meet, and it’s worse for some than for others.
But what exactly are the rules pertaining to panhandling within city limits? There are spots in Tacoma where the same person walks up and down the sidewalk near a busy intersection. When the traffic light turns red, the person walks up to car windows, asking for change. And then there are others who will walk in-between busy traffic lanes while the light is red, flashing their cardboard sign. This is downright dangerous for both drivers and the panhandler.
Where are our city police officers to monitor these situations and to ask these panhandlers not to be aggressive in their methods?
Peggy Thompson, Tacoma
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.