Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I would like to respectfully comment on the very misleading reader poll highlighted in last week’s Smithfield Times related to the General Assembly and deliberations around banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The biggest percentage (50%) was for the option that included many exceptions, however as far as I understand, the governor and most Republican legislators are not supportive of all the exceptions included in your paper’s poll choice. This skews the results, in my opinion, to the conclusion that the majority support the ban.

Also, as I have written before, demonizing women and excluding men from any accountability related to unintended pregnancies is discrimination of an epic nature.

Let’s end the divisiveness and work together to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for this procedure.

 

Joe Puglisi

Smithfield

Editor’s note: Senate Bill 1385 — the legislation supported by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration — would prohibit abortion after 15 weeks unless the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest or would result in the death of the mother “or substantially and irreversibly impair” her “bodily functions,” not including “psychological or emotional conditions.”