Believe in individual rights and responsibility? Vote no on Kansas amendment Aug. 2

Individual right

In his July 8 commentary, “Value Them Both amendment is not a Catholic issue,” (7A) Archbishp Joseph F. Neumann writes that the Kansas Supreme Court made “the outlandish claim that a right to abortion exists in the Kansas Constitution, taking abortion policy out of the hands of the people and their duly elected representatives and putting it in the hands of the court.”

Not so. The court placed abortion policy in the hands of the individual, making it a personal decision.

- Charles E. Downing, Roeland Park

It takes two

In all the pro-life rhetoric, I have yet to hear any suggestions for holding fathers identified by DNA accountable or responisble for their part in the issue. Perhaps if there were greater legal and or financial obligations — such as a minimum of 18 years of monetary support per child — the discussion would change about the help women need.

Thank you to Star journalists Ella McCarthy, Lisa Gutierrez and Katie Bernard for their insightful July 6 front-page story, “Eleven women, eleven stories.” It explained why abortion needs to be private, personal and apolitical.

- Marilyn Schaeffer, Kansas City

Biden can’t do it

President Joe Biden said the main culprit causing high gasoline and food prices is Russian President Vladimir Putin. On July 2, Biden tweeted a message to the companies running gas stations to lower their prices because “this is a time of war and global peril.” If that is the case, he should act like we are at war and take decisive action to defeat the Russian army permanently to stop the killing of innocent people in Ukraine.

The only country that can actually influence and stop Putin’s aggression into Ukraine without using any physical force is China. Unfortunately, China and Russia are working in tandem to weaken and destroy America, so they can maintain their power to control the world eventually.

- Steve Shaw, Kansas City

Boost shelter dogs

I was very touched by Michael Gerson’s commentary about loving and losing a pet. (July 7, 9A, “A new dog is a gift of pure joy and love of life”) He didn’t mention how he got his new puppy, but he did note that his previous dog was a Havanese, suggesting he had purchased it from a breeder.

I am an animal lover, and I think Gerson had a great opportunity to advocate for shelter dogs versus purchasing one.

- Margaret Kensinger, Raytown

In it together

The Kansas City Council is considering two crucial ordinances: the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan and energy-efficient building codes. The science that argues for these ordinances is certain. To oppose them is to succumb to an accelerating extinction of life as we know it on this planet.

Opponents of these ordinances have taken a “Yes, but …” approach. Global warming is bad, they admit, but the needed changes would adversely affect a certain “demographic,” “business model,” “lifestyle choice” and so on. And, as a stall, now is not a convenient time, they say. So, they argue, we must continue down the path that leads to ruin for all of us.

Effective climate action requires a “Yes, and …” commitment from all segments of society. Every person, neighborhood and political and economic entity needs to do its part and convert from fossil fuels.

Government must ensure that all are fairly included in the solution. However, there is no moral argument that opting out, individually or collectively, is acceptable. We will all travel this road together.

We must act now or deliver our posterity into calamity.

- Stephen Melton, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Parkville

British sense

Britain, from whom we declared independence 246 years ago, recently displayed exemplary democratic principles. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been involved in embarrassments, scandals and errors in judgment. Several of his cabinet members have resigned over these issues, and many members of his own party have called for his resignation, to which he has agreed. (July 8, 1A, “British leader leaving office as soon as party replaces him”)

Donald Trump — a misogynistic, narcissistic, prevaricating egomaniac — has perpetrated far worse offenses, including inciting insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Yet, his closest advisers and most members of his party have closed ranks behind him and stand fully with him.

We have a great deal to learn from the Brits in how a democracy ought to function.

- Kirk Duncan, Overland Park

History’s verdict

In her June 26 column, “Conservatives, we must move on from Trump,” (20A) Nicole Russell wrote that the Donald Trump era must be over. Another view is that the blot on our proud American history will be with us forever.

In 2016, we rejected virtue and endorsed a fellow who advertised himself as a vain, vulgar, vindictive, venal, pathological liar — a cheat, thief, serial adulterer, porn star fornicator and self-promoting p-grabber. And some 74 million of us who hadn’t seen his incompetence voted for him again.

One hundred years from now, he will still be standing as one of, if not the most wretched of American presidents.

By the way, I am blind. The gratitude of all us blind people belongs to the publisher, editors, workers and advertisers of The Kansas City Star for making much of every edition available on the telephone through the National Federation of the Blind’s NFB-NEWSLINE service at nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-newsline

- Dirk Neyhart, Berkeley, California