LETTERS: RIGHT TO LIFE IS THE FIRST RIGHT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

To the editor:

Calls to advance human rights are illusions if the right to life is subject to attack.

What if you were told that all your rights were guaranteed and secure except your right to live? That would be an empty promise. After all, rights don't do us much good if we're not alive to enjoy them.

That's the problem with candidates who sound good because of all the rights they want to promote, but won't let people be born to enjoy them. That's the problem with the pro-choice mentality. To choose to take away a baby's life by abortion is to take away all that baby's present and future rights. The government has no authority to do that. The government exists, indeed, to secure the rights of the people.

We have a moral responsibility to vote. There is no perfect candidate, but this year's elections can move our nation at least a little closer to moral sanity on this issue. When you vote, make sure you know where the candidates stand on abortion, the fundamental human-rights issue for all men and women of good will.

ANTHONY GERARD

Cape Girardeau