An overlooked casualty of overprescribing opioids are patients who, with a legitimate need and an appropriate prescription, are not able to get them.

My wife was written a prescription for oxycodone to help with her pain from cancer. The hospital pharmacy was out of stock. We spent the next couple of hours making the rounds of pharmacies and none had any in stock. The results were worsening pain and a trip to the emergency room.

As I now understand it, quotas have been placed on the amount of these drugs pharmacies can keep and dispense. Something needs to be done to prevent overuse of these drugs, but whether a blanket solution (quotas) will help to alleviate the problem remains to be seen. It certainly caused my wife to suffer unnecessary pain because her immediate and legitimate need for the drug could not be met.

Bob Kern

Manoa

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Vatican shouldn’t investigate itself

In response to the latest revelation of Catholic clergy sexual abuse (300 predatory priests and at least 1,000 victims), and this one confined to Pennsylvania, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, proposes a “Vatican-led investigation.”

This isn’t the fox guarding the hen house; this is the fox investigating the fox. Let an outside agency investigate, someone without a vested interest with assurance from the church that the agency will have access to all pertinent information.

Dexter Greene

Waianae

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Diocese should open list of abuse suspects

Your editorial, “Full reckoning due for Catholic Church” (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Aug. 20) is correct that needed accountability for decades of suffering inflicted upon childhood sexual abuse survivors is “top-of-mind” after the Pennsylvania grand jury report.

The periodic disclosure of previously undisclosed abusers is disheartening and damaging to survivors.

As an attorney who has represented many survivors of abuse by clergy in Hawaii, I was surprised and upset to learn of yet another abuser in Hawaii, the Rev. Robert Hannon. Church secrecy is preventing healing and delaying the needed reckoning.

It is time for the Diocese of Honolulu to end this periodic reopening of wounds by once and for all publicly disclosing a list of all accused abusers. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles released a list years ago. Renewed trust can only start with an admission of wrong and accountability.

Mark Gallagher

Kailua

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Gender-bias claim an insult to voters

There was an article on the front page recently containing assertions that women are not winning elective office because of gender bias (“With women losing major races, some question role of gender bias,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 15).

Each candidate — male or female — needs to take responsibility for the positions they took and the way they ran their campaign. To assert gender bias insults the intelligence of the voting public.

Doug Tonokawa

Kailua

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Feminist didn’t vote for Hanabusa

I’m a woman and a strong feminist. I’m tired of the gender card being played in the current election process (“With women losing major races, some question role of gender bias,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 15).

I’m also a lifelong Democrat.

I didn’t vote for U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa because I really disliked her attack ads, lack of a comprehensive platform, her past record and being supported by a super PAC with developer ties.

If state Rep. Andria Tupola, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, shared my values as a liberal Democrat I would vote for her. She is a Republican. I won’t vote for any Republican, male or female.

It’s about where I stand as a Democrat, not as a woman.

Michel Grotstein

Kaneohe

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Hirono should meet with Kavanaugh

I was disappointed to learn recently that U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono refuses to meet with the president’s nominee to the Supreme Court.

Regardless of Hirono’s political persuasion, I don’t see how it is in the best interest of the people she represents to cancel her meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh based on her personal feelings toward our current president.

Hirono should reconsider and try to keep an open mind.

Assuming this nominee is confirmed, his decisions can have an impact on the lives of the people in this country for many years to come.

John Totten

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii island