Letters, They Get Letters

Dueling letters to the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. First, the serve:

Jews should be at forefront of life issues
(April 13, 2007)

Editor:

I am fascinated by the article regarding the recipient of Planned Parenthood's highest honor ("Planned Parenthood lauds Sam Coppersmith," Jewish News, March 30).

Family planning needn't involve the termination of life. There are numerous ways to plan one's family that don't involve killing a growing human fetus. Jews, of all people, should be in the forefront of life issues and the protection of both the innocent unborn and life at the opposite end of the spectrum. As a people, we have suffered at the hands of genocidal maniacs who felt that our lives were worthless and expendable.

Tevye, in "Fiddler on the Roof," said it very well: "To Life! L'Chaim!"

Karen Fischer
Scottsdale

And the return:

Real Judaism vs. Broadway Judaism

(May 4, 2007)

Editor:

If my mother had read the letter to the editor "Jews should be at forefront of life issues" (Jewish News, April 13), she'd have gone into full Jewish mother outrage that her kvelling over my Peggy Goldwater Award from Planned Parenthood was interrupted by some buttinski from Scottsdale. The nerve!

Well, my mom's long gone, so instead I'm outraged on Planned Parenthood’s behalf.

Claiming Planned Parenthood is only about abortion makes as much sense as claiming that all you need to know about Judaism is a song from a Broadway musical. Planned Parenthood is the largest sexual health and family planning organization in Arizona, serving more than 55,000 patients annually, and reaching thousands more through educational programming and advocacy work.

Planned Parenthood provides over $2.5 million in uncompensated health care in our state, with one out of four patients receiving free care. No organization does more than Planned Parenthood to prevent unintended pregnancies, through access to affordable or no-cost birth control and education programs that convey accurate information.

With all those extremists who claim that "family planning should be more than abortion," ever notice how they never actually do anything for family planning? Their real agenda is to prevent individual women from making their own moral decisions -- something real (as opposed to "Broadway") Judaism would find abhorrent.

Sam Coppersmith

Phoenix