I am pro life. I mince no words about it. I believe that only God and not man should have the power to end life. My belief is no longer selective, and I no longer can rationalize war, except in defense, or the death penalty. As much as I deplore abortion, it is lawful and therefore demands that the woman be protected as well as possible by medical science. If abortion is a woman's right, then she also has a right to safety and care in medical standards ("Lawmakers, regulators look at options to tighten oversight of abortion providers," Jan. 2).

If we wish to protect our woman, we need to immediately close all freestanding abortion clinics and require all abortions to be performed in a Maryland licensed hospital or hospital-operated outpatient clinic. As we have recently seen, abortion sometimes kills more that the baby. Its time to ensure that the woman no longer pays an added penalty for her life as well as the life she holds.

Gary Gamber, Reisterstown