Letters: Readers discuss important terminology around abortion and Kansas’ slogan

The wrong term

While I was answering e-mails one afternoon last week, this KansasCity.com headline flashed across my screen: “Abortion clinics on edge after woman who shot Kansas doctor is released from prison.” Well, you got me to pause and look at the article.

However, what really concerned me was not so much that Rachelle “Shelley” Shannon, who shot Wichita doctor George Tiller in 1993, was let out of prison. What bothered me was the reference to clinics that provide health services to women and families as “abortion clinics.” This gives a false picture of the services these facilities perform.

Yes, they will terminate pregnancy in accordance with the law, but that’s a small fraction of the services they render. These clinics provide health screenings, physicals, family planning and a host of other services for women and mothers.

Stoking the ire of those opposed to these clinics by calling them “abortion clinics” perpetuates the ignorance among many as to what these places actually do. This also endangers the lives of the medical professionals who work there, and also of the women who need these services and have nowhere else to turn.

Words matter. I would hope for The Star’s professional journalists to be a little more discerning in the words they choose for headlines.

Bob Riggs

Liberty

Big and smart

The Kansas state slogan is a perplexing “Kansas: As big as you think.” Change it to: “Kansas: Smarter than you think,” and most of your Kansas City neighbors on the Missouri side would understand.

Thomas M. Deacy

Kansas City