Or perhaps it will be some of our elected School Board members who cite rapid growth as the real culprit in the budget debate? Are they next in line?
I believe that the people who can best speak for our quality of life are the citizens who live here, and given the rapid pace of proposed changes to the county, there is much need for citizen feedback. Consequently, ELCN and ELSA facilitate citizen involvement in the public process by providing citizens of all political persuasions the necessary information concerning participation at public hearings, e-mail addresses of elected leaders and contact information for local newspapers.
ELCN and ELSA are attempting to level the playing field by engaging more citizens in the process. Perhaps then some of our elected leaders will begin to hear "the citizen's message."
The voice of eastern Loudoun citizens is growing strong. We are paying attention, we are organizing and we are willing to fight to keep Loudoun one of the best places to live in the nation.
Susan Klimek Buckley
Sterling
A Vote for Women, Families
State Senate Bill 456, the Birth Control Protection Act, simply says that contraception is not abortion and therefore shouldn't be governed by abortion laws. That sounds obvious enough.
So why do we have to have legislation on something so obvious? The pill, the patch, the morning-after pill, IUDs, etc., are each safe and extremely effective in preventing pregnancy. That's why we use them. There is a distinct medical difference between contraception, which prevents pregnancy, and abortion. In fact, the use of contraceptives is the single most effective way to prevent abortion, since it prevents unintended pregnancy.
Amazingly, there are legislators who believe that certain types of birth control, such as the pill, cause abortion and that current restrictions on abortion should be expanded to include basic birth control. Instead of working to make contraceptives more readily available as a means to prevent abortion, they want to make laws that deny women this ability to safely and effectively plan our families.
Our state senators, William C. Mims (R-Loudoun) and H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester) should make it clear that birth control is basic health care for the women of Virginia and vote for Senate Bill 456. The women and families of Virginia are depending on them to represent us and our need to plan and space our children. Doing so greatly enhances the well-being of our families.
With contraception so widely used by American women, a vote in favor of Senate Bill 456 is a vote for women, families and children.
Eileen Levandoski
Purcellville
