'No excuse' for Amendment 1
The proposed Amendment 1 will not stop women from terminating pregnancies. It will make it harder for women without financial means to have access to birth control, family planning education and yes, abortions. I do not want state lawmakers making my personal medical decisions. If they pass Amendment 1, what else will they want to control? Before the Supreme Court decision in 1973, desperate, young women primarily had no option except to try to induce a miscarriage, many times with dire consequences. This has not changed. Many men still abandon women they have gotten pregnant. We have children in foster care due to mothers being unable to provide for them. We read about babies dying from abuse and neglect. To believe that abstinence programs work is putting your head in the sand. There needs to be strong sex education taught in all our schools in Tennessee. There need to be clinics where women can go for family planning education. There is no excuse for this amendment. I will vote no on the proposed Amendment 1.
TERESA ANDERSON, Athens, Tenn.
Toss party labels; vote for Headrick
There comes a time when appropriate representation from an elected official trumps party labels. With Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, that time is now. One would be hard-pressed to recall any significant legislation he has crafted or initiatives he has delivered for his district in his two terms. His voting record is one of obstruction, and his stance on the Chickamauga Lock replacement shows what little interest he has for basic infrastructure in his district. If re-elected, Fleischmann will again go into hiding and remain almost invisible until the next election cycle. Fleischmann's opponent, Mary Headrick, believes regardless of party you are getting little if any representation. Headrick supports fair taxation, Medicare and Social Security, public schools, and fair pay and benefits for middle-class workers. And she'll put the lock project on the front burner. No doubt, Fleischmann will attempt to paint Headrick as an ultra-liberal. If the issues she supports are considered "liberal," Fleischmann has become completely out of touch. People in the 3rd District deserve more than a congressman who simply warms a chair in the House. It's time to put party preference aside and elect someone who is willing to work for us.
GREG WILLIAMS, Signal Mountain