Saturday letters

Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 25, 2013 at 6:22 p.m.

Planned Parenthood

responds to column

I was truly disappointed in the supposed "facts" about legal abortion and Planned Parenthood by guest columnist Jim Styer that were printed in this paper Friday. Here are the true facts:

In last November's election, women in Florida and across the nation rejected the anti-women's agenda put forth by out-of-touch politicians. Yet, in state after state, including Florida, legislators who just don't get it have put forward bills that seek to limit a woman's ability to make her own decisions about her pregnancy.

In Tallahassee last week, an outrageous and unconstitutional bill was filed that would outlaw abortion in any circumstance. And the same people who are fighting every day to end access to safe and legal abortion, also want to limit access to birth control and family planning.

Here are the facts that matter. We saw more than 30,000 patients in our Planned Parenthood health centers last year in the Tampa Bay area. Locally, 84 percent of our services are lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and breast health services. The medical services of Planned Parenthood of Southwest & Central Florida are not funded by any subsidies from the federal or state government. And we, like most Americans, believe that when it comes to a woman's pregnancy, we can't make her decision because we don't walk in her shoes.

Planned Parenthood will support women in whatever decision they make -- this is our promise. From courthouses to Tallahassee to Washington, D.C., Planned Parenthood takes action to ensure that women have access to care, no matter what.

Barbara Zdravecky


Planned Parenthood

of Southwest & Central Florida

The buck and Benghazi

Our secretary of state never did answer the most important question as to why the request for more security at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was denied.

Mrs. Clinton claims she never saw the request. Does that excuse her? And does it excuse our president? Is this not a communication breakdown? Was it not a communication breakdown that caused the "Twin Towers" to come down?

Ignorance is never an excuse, and claiming "full responsibility" is just typical political hyperbole. We always hear that the problem has been fixed. Why is it we never seem to fix a problem before it occurs? Why are our leaders always reactive instead of proactive?

There is a dead ambassador and three other deaths that never should have happened if our government was doing its job. What a pitiful response from our senators who tried to wash their hands by saying it was the Republicans' fault because they did not approve funds for additional security. Does the "blame game" never end?

It seems that Mrs. Clinton's only defense was to display her temper. Whoever can shout the loudest wins.

Harry Truman famously stated that "The buck stops here." In this instance the buck stops with Mrs. Clinton and ultimately the president. Taking "full responsibility" is hardly acceptable to the surviving family members from the Benghazi consulate.

Richard B. Wynn


Trivial pursuits

With all of the important things going on in this country and the world, the mainstream media (TV and print), have the people here captivated with the big stories of Notre Dame's Manti T'eo's phantom girlfriend and whether Beyonce' was lip-syncing the national anthem.

This is what the people can't get enough of and is headline news? And these people vote? No wonder why we are stuck with what is leading the country, and why we are so deep in debt. This is the dumbing down of America!

Tom Verica

University Park

For red-light cameras

The writer who wants to get rid of cameras would have a different point of view if she ever lost a loved one from a red-light runner ("Get rid of cameras," Wednesday's Herald-Tribune). This happens too many times and is the motivation for the cameras.

Most of us have seen the blatant red-light running in this area. Too bad for her that she was fined for breaking the law. Would she want to get rid of the police and police cars if they had ticketed her for the same violation instead of the cameras?

James Kopnisky

University Park

NRA is wrong

Thank you, Tom Lyons, for highlighting the insane logic of the National Rifle Association (the airplane comparison) in its fight against stronger gun control. I'm so tired of the NRA's excuses.

Since 9/11, we have been averaging approximately 31,590 deaths from firearms per year. Just this week, a teenager in New Mexico fatally shot his family. He told authorities that his plan was to drive to a populated area and kill more people, using the rifles that he took from his parents' closet.

The notion put forth by the NRA is that if everyone had a gun, none of this would be happening. Really? Let's visualize this for a moment. Adam Lanza walks into the principal's office in Newtown, Conn. He has a Bushmaster assault rifle and one finger on the trigger. The principal is sitting at her desk. She has a gun, but no matter how quickly she reacts, she has no chance against the shooter. Game over. Adam Lanza moves on and slaughters 20 innocent children. A dozen Dirty Harry wannabes in uniform armed to the teeth wouldn't have prevented someone from dying in Newtown. Take semi-automatic weapons out of the equation and tighten up the regulations on the rest of the firearms, and the chances are that those 20 innocent kids might still be with us.

Phil Ruffini


This story appeared in print on page A18


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