In 1798 Thomas Malthus wrote "An Essay On the Principal of Population".

After considerable research on the Poor Laws he stated that they did more harm than good.

The poor would marry younger and have more children than if they had to feed their own families. This meant that there were many more mouths to feed with no increase in the means to support them.

The women at that time did not have access to the Woman's Reproductive Triangle (family planning, contraception and choice) when deciding how many children to have. After women won the right to reproductive freedom birthrates and child mortality dropped.

Many of our political and religious leaders are advocating that women should be denied their right to a safe and legal abortion while eliminating her access to welfare.

It is immoral and unjust for a society to require a woman to bear a child against her will while refusing to accept responsibility for the care and feeding of those children.

If we deny a woman her right to reproductive freedom then we owe her family human dignity, self-respect and an adequate income to ensure that the extra children she will produce are properly cared for.

Sheila L Richardson
Bellingham Wa