Thamar Quinones
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene:

Lena Marinaro
Department of Transportation:

This issue is so important because so much depends on women. They have the children, rear them, and are responsible for their schoolwork and activities plus bringing home a paycheck to support their families. Too much time taken off from work will result in reprimands, not to mention incomplete paychecks.
The issue is not only a woman’s physical commitment but her emotional state as well. Unions should be involved because, after all, they do represent the entire person.

Gloria Ferrer
Department of Transportation:

All human life is sacred. I cannot understand why abortion should be a right. I have never seen the woman who gave birth to me, but I love that woman anyway. She allowed me to be born!

In my view, abortion should be in the same category of murder as those killed in hate crimes, including race-related murders. Murder may have stopped the one person from being born who could have cured cancer, AIDS, diabetes, or high blood pressure. These people believe they have the right to kill in order to make their lives sweet. Abortion is one of these murderers’ tools.
I know sometimes doctors have to save the mother and not the child when a birth has complications. That is an extenuating circumstance. I also know that when deciding to have an abortion a young woman who hasn’t grasped the significance of what she is doing may make a mistake. All of us make mistakes. I am not trying to be judge and jury.

Pam Grey
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene:

I don’t believe in abortions—I consider them murder. Every woman knows that each time she has sex it’s a 50/50 chance she will get pregnant. Therefore, if she knows she is not ready to have a child, then she should protect herself.

Betty Dantzler
Department of Transportation:

The Supreme Court has gone too far into people’s personal lives. I believe women should have a say about their own bodies and abortion is a personal thing between a woman and her God. Abortion is not a form of birth control and it is not the answer to all unwanted pregnancies. Young children should be educated about protected sex at a young age.
If members of Local 1180 feel that the union should speak up about abortion on their behalf, let us vote on it.

Joi Crawford
Department of Aging:

Absolutely yes, the labor movement should fight for women’s reproductive rights. I am a single woman who had three children (now ages 9, 10, and 13) before a divorce in 1999. It’s only by God’s grace that I’m still on the job working for the same agency for just about 15 years. Pregnancy is a beautiful experience and children are a gift from God. Women should be accommodated in the workplace during pregnancy and after the child is born.

Dorothy Leocadi
Department of Homeless Services:

Fighting for women’s reproductive rights means that women should have the freedom to have children and obtain affordable child care so they can work and help support their family.

Marijk Lowe
Human Resources Administration:

The right to have an abortion is a personal choice, one that the union should support. It takes a responsible woman to know that bringing a child into an unhealthy situation would be the greater crime.

David Als
Department of Transportation:

Yes the labor movement should fight for women’s reproductive rights! And the time is now!