Black KC heroes, Naumann’s Biden rebuke, autism challenges

Honor them now

Please adjust the focus of your Sunday “Black Lives Remembered” features honoring deceased local Black heroes to include some of our living legends, so they can receive the recognition due them while they’re still here with us. They deserve to know their lives have made a difference in this world.

- Tommy Fagan, Prairie Village

Presidents for all

I just read that Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said that President Joe Biden should “stop defining himself as a devout Catholic” because of Biden’s stance on abortion.

I would ask the archbishop to consider a couple Bible passages: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” and “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

I left the Catholic Church in 2008 because of a bishop in Denver, who said that one could not be a Catholic and vote for Barack Obama because of Obama’s stance on abortion.

That stance — and Biden’s — is that whatever his personal view of abortion is, he cannot impose it on the rest of society. In essence, he believes that an abortion decision is one that a pregnant woman should make based on her individual circumstances.

The archbishop has made a judgment that is beyond his pay grade. And, it seems, he possesses the hubris reflecting his belief that he can speak for the almighty, when, in fact, that’s far from true.

If I were the archbishop, I would withdraw my comments about the president’s abortion position and apologize to Biden, the pope and God.

- Joseph Gawel, St. Augustine, Florida

Define ‘devout’

Archbishop Joseph Naumann said that President Joe Biden is not truly a “devout” Catholic because of his stance on abortion rights. Yet this same archbishop offered high praise for Donald Trump.

How many occurrences of child sexual abuse were perpetrated by people who would be classified as “devout” Catholics? How many times were those sexual abusers protected by other “devout” Catholics?

Does the archbishop’s handling of the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse cases disqualify him as a “devout” Catholic? I’ll let God be the judge.

What would Jesus do?

- Ron Boster, Leawood

Peace for Prewitt

I read the front-page Feb. 14 story “COVID-19 fuels calls for inmate clemency in Kansas” with great interest.

Clemency is a vital, yet too often overlooked, constitutional responsibility of the governor. Like so many others, I have been troubled by the failure of recent Missouri governors to act on the clemency petition of Patty Prewitt, a 71-year-old grandmother who has served more than 35 years for a crime that many believe she did not commit.

Despite this injustice, Prewitt has by all accounts been a model inmate and positive influence. Her release is broadly supported, including by a bipartisan group of more than 50 Missouri state legislators.

Prewitt’s continued incarceration serves no public purpose while costing the state precious taxpayer dollars and continuing to take an emotional toll on a family that has a home waiting for her. Prewitt’s clemency petition has been pending for more than a decade.

The backlog of clemency petitions that Gov. Mike Parson inherited is a problem, but it also presents him with an opportunity to do tremendous good. I pray that Parson will be the one to finally take the just, merciful and responsible action: Grant clemency to Patty Prewitt.

- Tena O’Hara, Independence

Head on right

To Taylor Drawl, the high school junior who wrote a Wednesday letter to the editor about educational priorities (10A): You really hit the nail on the head. I think you and every high schooler should be taught the fundamentals of finance, especially investing. Learning investing early can propel you to financial success for your future. Go get ’em, kid.

- Joe Ormsby, Kansas City

Special needs

Consider the frustrations of parents with neurotypical children during quarantine. Now, as a doctor, I ask you to imagine you have a child with severe aggression because of autism. The in-home therapy sessions your child once received are no longer available because of the pandemic. Without this therapy, your child has increased aggressive behaviors and frequently injures him- or herself and caregivers.

What are your options? Answer: hospitalization. During this pandemic, hospitals have seen a massive increase in admissions for behavioral issues, including children with autism.

Most residential facilities will not accept children if they cannot complete activities of daily living without assistance. Frequently, these patients cannot. Instead, they stay in the hospital a few days while doctors optimize medication doses, then return home with caregivers who are in danger of further injury. Intensive behavioral treatment facilities are scattered across the county but pose barriers for those in need of financial assistance.

Studies show that aggression in children with autism has increased during the pandemic and the mental health of their caregivers has been damaged. This data highlights the need for socially distanced special education interventions during quarantine, but also the need for modified criteria for inpatient facility placement for those at highest risk of injuring themselves and others.

- Lacey Boshe, Kansas City