Can’t NC go back to abortion under Roe? What we have now is a mess | Opinion

North Carolina law prohibits abortion after 12 weeks. Why? A fetal heartbeat can be heard at six weeks, and brain waves can be detected at 15-20 weeks. A baby born around 24 weeks can usually survive.

A pregnancy of less than 20 weeks can be terminated if it is the result of rape. The definition of a baby is often defined by the religious background of the speaker. But in the case of rape, it is the mother’s plight that allows the termination at 20 weeks.

If I am Catholic or evangelical, a fetus is considered human at conception. If I am Jewish, it is at first breath. If I was raped, the law has different boundaries.

This is a mess.

Can we please go back to the 24 weeks of Roe v. Wade? And if your religious background is more restrictive, attend to that out of your preference.

Janice Woychik, Chapel Hill

Hitler remarks

While President, Donald Trump is reported to have stated: “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had — people who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders.”

The orders that German generals followed led to the extermination of six million Jews and an untold number of Allied POWs.

Those generals also took a loyalty oath to Hitler. In America, officers swear loyalty to the Constitution.

I’m sure that Trump would prefer, like Hitler, such a personal commitment, but that is not the American way.

Trump further believes that Americans who served in the military are “suckers” and “losers,” and once told a cabinet official, “Only suckers went to Vietnam.”

As an Air Force Academy graduate who served 23 years, I find Trump’s assessment of the American military abhorrent.

Mark Clodfelter, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.), Chapel Hill

Graffiti squad

Raleigh once managed graffiti effectively, but the current approach seems to rely on businesses to clean up their own properties.

It’s time for the city to establish its own graffiti squad.

Modern methods offer efficient solutions without damaging surfaces.

Prompt removal of unauthorized graffiti is crucial to prevent escalation, particularly with gang signs and tagging.

While artistic expressions can enhance our city, we must distinguish them from vandalism. It’s time for proactive measures to ensure our city remains clean and safe for everyone.

Jarles Alberg, Raleigh

Positive polling

I spent two days this week as a poll observer in both Wake and Durham counties.

What I saw in both locations has reinforced my belief in the fairness of our election process.

I saw chief judges and poll workers clearly dedicated to ensuring the sanctity of our election process, and poll greeters from all parties supporting their candidates, doing it with enthusiasm while treating the opposing greeters with dignity and respect.

I saw an electorate having no issues with the new voter ID law, and in fact, for the most part, having no issues whatsoever with the voting process.

What I saw this week has reinforced that our country knows how to conduct a free and fair election!

Jay Copan, Raleigh

Fracking Harris

The writer is the retired deputy operations director of the NC Utilities Commission.

Vice President Kamala Harris promised to ban fracking. With Pennsylvania in play, she reversed her position. Once elected, if she changes back, Pennsylvania energy workers are not the only people who will be harmed.

The Transco natural gas pipeline crosses our state. Over the decades, our utilities contracted with Transco to move fuel from the Gulf Coast to our state. Federal regulators allowed Transco to reverse its south-to-north flow, delivering fracked gas from states like Pennsylvania down to us and more southern states. We now depend heavily on fracked gas.

On a cold winter night, gas-fired combustion turbines are a critical part of the electric generation mix keeping our lights and heath on. Without fracked gas, we will be dark and cold.

Before we vote, we need Harris to state clearly and unequivocally that she will take no steps to limit fracked gas.

Bill Gilmore, Raleigh