Rosalie Paul’s July 9th commentary, “What’s Good for the Children?” offered a visionary focus on how we can create a safe world for children everywhere, now and in the future.

The August 2 Peace Fair presents excellent opportunities to explore those visions. But what is missing from all that is the huge and complicated question of what is happening before the children are even born. Namely, the assault on women’s rights. Not economic, cultural or gender rights. But specifically a woman’s right to choose to have a child. Or not.

Basically, there are many ways a woman can become pregnant against her will or choice to do so. Then what happens? In 1972, Roe v. Wade gave women the choice to legally abort an unwanted pregnancy. Finally. Ever since, the hue and cry has echoed to cancel that ruling with the most recent back door decision to end the Massachusetts 35-foot safe zone at family planning clinics. That just forced Portland on Monday to cancel theirs too and no doubt will affect countless other safe zones. I wish those justices had to skulk afraid into a clinic for an abortion with pro-life hate rhetoric, gruesome fetus photos shoved in their faces. Pro-lifers should be free to choose to have a child, of course, but not force their choice as a legal, religious, freedom or economic club to everyone else’s head. Also, there’s the problem of 8 billion humans outstripping earth’s resources, but that is another huge and complicated issue for some other time.

I had to skulk afraid to a legal New York clinic for an abortion in 1970 before Roe v. Wade was passed. I was a sad but lucky one. I didn’t have to resort to a knitting needle or coat hanger in some dark alley somewhere and then bleed to death in the aftermath. I knew then and know now that every child deserves to be a WANTED child to start off their life. That is their basic need and right. To be WANTED. And it is a woman’s right to choose if that is possible to provide that for her child. In terms of the money and insurance arguments, contraceptives or necessary abortions are exceedingly less expensive than the consequences of being an unwanted, uncared for child.

A new group called GRR! Maine means Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights, and was formed locally by an inspired and motivated group of grandmothers one-and-a-half years ago and has campaigned hard to present issues and solutions relevant for today’s difficult reproductive rights concerns. We grandmothers know. We’ve been there! We know that children’s rights extend far beyond their births which is where the pro-life protesters’ interests seem to end. Children, before, during and after they are born deserve to be wanted, loved, fed, housed, educated and nurtured in safe and loving environments.

Please check out GRR! Maine at www.GrandmothersForReproductiveRights.org.

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Hannah Fox Trowbridge lives in Harpswell.