Hawaii marks the 50-year “celebration” of becoming the first state to legalize abortion (“50 Pro-Choice Years,” Star-Advertiser, Insight, March 8).

Why the lack of discourse on human life and personhood? Something has changed since 1970. Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 453-16, which covers abortion, has a note citing a court decision, which further cites the original statute legislative history found in the House and Senate committee reports: “The right of the unborn child is therefore predicated on the more important question of whether a fetus is a human being and therefore entitled to all rights of human beings. From the standpoint of law, the question of human life is based on viability, that is, the law regards a fetus as a human being only at such time when such fetus can exist individually outside of the mother’s womb.”

Fifty years, and well over 300,000 abortions in Hawaii. I suggest a more productive modification to the headline, “A half-century after Hawaii legalized abortion access, legislators must keep political courage,” is to find courage to once again discuss personhood as it relates to the unborn.

David Beers

Waipahu

Mahalo to efforts of government employees

As a vulnerable senior, I want to say mahalo to our state Department of Health, Hawaii’s health-care community and the first responders battling this coronavirus challenge.

It is a difficult task and I appreciate all the efforts by our state and private health-care workers striving to keep us safe. Although a frequent critic of government, I think it’s time also to give a tip of the hat to our city employees. I noted, on a weekly walk along Lehua Avenue in Pearl City, city workers had replaced flags at pedestrian crosswalks, a crew was removing a dead tree that was overhanging a traffic lane and a normally litter-filled area beneath the H-1 was clean, with weeds trimmed.

Thanks, folks, and let’s all pray for our health-care community.

Jim McDiarmid

Mililani

Voting by mail isn’t convenient for everyone

Hawaii’s “progressive” politicians have pushed for, and now will have, mail-in voting. Undoubtedly this type of voting will be more convenient for some, and less so for others.

It remains to be seen whether or not this will substantially improve voter turnout in the Aloha State. Your editorial pointed out that a prolonged voting window can be “problematic” as voters may cast early ballots for candidates who later drop out of the race (“Get ready to vote by mail,” Star- Advertiser, Our View, March 7).

What about voter fraud? What keeps people from casting ballots for deceased relatives?

Lastly, consider individuals who may be homeless and without a current mailing address. Are they to be disenfranchised simply because vote-by-mail saves money for the state and is more convenient?

Mark Saxon

Kahului

Some states restrict absentee voting

I request that Han Song, who wrote that “every American can vote with an absentee ballot,” get the facts straight (“Absentee ballot offers better way to vote,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 7).

For example, in Texas, according to the secretary of state’s website, “To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must: be 65 years or older; be disabled; be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.”

Alabama has similar restrictions. And so on. Voter suppression is real.

Eileen Gawrys

Ewa Beach

Censoring students led to protests, walkouts

With regard to “Bill would protect school newspapers’ rights” (Star-Advertiser, March 9), I offer three insights from books addressing dissent among left- and right-wing high school students in 1960-1970.

Instead of maintaining calm and order among students, steps to curtail the privileges of students writing under the supervision of dedicated and skilled advisory faculty had the exact opposite effect.

They produced protests, including classroom walkouts, motivated not only by anger at what students perceived as the suppression of dissent, but over the disciplining of beloved faculty newspaper advisers.

Where authorities defended their actions through harsh measures, protests often so increased as to lead administrators to shut down their schools and other actions that produced costly legal action.

The maintenance of school discipline and authority is a valid concern, but those states and counties that then sought to defend court rulings that “students’ rights do not stop at the schoolhouse door,” have since produced the majority of America’s gross national product.

Marc Gilbert

Downtown Honolulu

Developers will take advantage of SB 3104

Whenever Stanford Carr, Howard Hughes Corp., or the Carpenters Union speaks on any issue, it automatically pushes me in the other direction (“Bill boosts affordable for-sale housing, distinct from rentals,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 5).

Senate Bill 3104 offers nothing more than a way for developers and the construction unions to continue to wreak havoc across Oahu, dressed in the sheep’s clothing of affordable housing. Look at what Kakaako has become. It’s more out of reach than ever for locals.

SB 3104 simply offers more of same, and Carr has the nerve to say, “the right balanced formula,” regarding affordable housing. Now the state is allowing the Hawaii Community Development Authority to run the Aloha Stadium development.

Urge your lawmakers not to pass SB 3104. If you think building more will solve anything or make things more affordable, I suggest asking the residents of the models in front of us: Tokyo, New York City, Singapore, San Francisco, London.

All have stratospheric pricing due to overbuilding.

Pat Kelly

Kaimuki

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