Pro-choice is pro-life
In response to James Borden’s letter of May 22 (Tribune-Herald, Your Views), I want to convey to all the white men, religious zealots and other pro-lifers that no woman wants to have an abortion.
A woman’s body is her business, and if Roe v. Wade is threatened, women who seek an abortion might resort to the “old coat hanger in the back room.” Such risk endangers the life of a pregnant woman; others who can afford it, will opt to go to Canada or another country for the procedure.
What do these white men handing down abortion bans know about pregnancy, anyway? If they were truly pro-life, they would consider that sometimes an abortion is necessary to save a life.
Those against Roe v. Wade only care about the unborn, not the child after birth, who could be born into poverty, suffer abuse or even be killed. To me, religious fanatics and anti-abortion advocates are really pro-birth and not pro-life.
Linda Damas
Hilo
Attorney
blamed victim
“Michael Zelko guilty of sex assault.”
That’s what the headline should have read.
Four young women come forward to keep this community safe, and you give voice to a defense attorney to discredit and tell lies about a victim of a sex assault? The courts accepted Michael Zelko’s no contest plea and found him guilty of 11 counts of sex assault of four young girls. Look up the definition of pedophile, Mr. (Michael) Green — that’s what Mr. Zelko is.
Mr. Green had the audacity to state “she should be happy that it ends this way” when speaking about the victim who bravely spoke to the court about the impact this crime had on her life. You know what would have made this young woman happy? If your client, Mr. Zelko, hadn’t sexually assaulted her.
Michael Zelko isn’t going to prison because he committed no crimes. He’s going to prison because he is a sex offender who will have to register as such for the rest of his life.
I don’t know who I’m more upset with — Mr. Green, who has the audacity to victim-blame, or the newspaper who gave voice to him.
To all the young women who came forward and bravely spoke the truth, thank you. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for you. Thank you for helping put a sexual offender away in prison. These young women are the unsung heroes our community.
That’s the story that should’ve been written.
Deborah Chai
Honokaa
