Letters to the Editor: Abortion ruling seems within mainstream

Your Views The Alito Nomination Wisconsin State Journal :: FORUM :: B1 Sunday, November 13, 2005 Abortion ruling seems within mainstream Forum columnist Jill Porter's opinion of Samuel Alito shows more about her "feminist zealot" bias (to use her own words) than informs us of the judge's qualifications. She admits reading part of the trial transcript of the 1991 Pennsylvania court ruling, but she missed the fact that they wanted the husband to be notified, not give consent for an abortion. Exceptions in the law, when no notification was required, included rape, fear of abuse, when the father was not her husband or not locatable. If a married woman signed a statement that she notified her husband and presented it to the abortion doctor, she met the requirement. Alito thought this was a reasonable request of a married woman. So do I. Notifying a husband of an abortion is simply common sense for those of us on the "rabid right" and "dangerously radical" conservatives (again using Porter's labels) who are not part of Porter's definition of the "mainstream." If the judge is qualified, I am confident our senators will vote their conscience. -- William Richardson, Madison NOTE: I was wrong. Both Sen Kohl & Finegold voted No to confirmation of Alito on Jan. 31,2006 (So much for integrity-Dem party loyalty trumps integrity)