Letter: Speakers ignore rights of unborn

Saturday, Aug. 26, 2000 | 3:12 a.m.

In watching the Democratic National Convention on television, I noticed the one-sided rhetoric of politicians or family members of those in public life using the podium to express their pro-abortion opinions.

Using terms such as "a woman's right to choose" and "reproductive freedom," these prime-time speakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles failed to address the magnitude of this controversial issue. Wouldn't it have been fair and just for the delegates to see an ultrasound picture of an unborn human baby to help them better choose, along with the American public, what rights must be available for these least ones? The veiled language and inconsistent pro-child sentiments didn't attend to the deeper issue of why in a free society we mistreat our littlest members, those being formed in their mothers' wombs.

Having been personally involved with Catholic Charities this past year, I have grown in my appreciation for God's little people, whether they be in a homeless shelter, a soup line, a child care center or a senior apartment. What we do to the refugee or immigrant speaks volumes as to whether we are a loving and caring people. With a hands-on perspective of the poor and needy of Las Vegas, I am further convinced that I need to do more for the unborn children who are the neediest and poorest in our society. They have no voice but ours.

FATHER JOHN B. MCSHANE Chaplain of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada