Letter to the Editor: Alexandria Resident Urges Voters to Side with Ken Cuccinelli

Sex, Lies and Governor's Race

Ladies of Virginia, this note's for you: Put down your "People" magazine. Change your home page from MSNBC.com to CNBC.com. Turn off Oprah's channel
and daytime drama queens from talk shows like "The View."

It's time to start thinking for yourself . . . know how to discern fact from fiction. For starters, here's one fact you should know: If elected Governor of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli will NOT prevent you from taking birth control, getting a divorce from an abusive husband, nor deny your right to a safe abortion. Ken's opponent, however, Terry McAuliffe has no shame in compromising your intelligence or exploiting your vulnerability by feeding you lies about Ken.

Chances are, you and Ken Cuccinelli actually wish for the same: that you never find yourself or a loved one – daughter, sister, friend or even foe – in the position of needing an abortion at all. You, along with caring people like Ken, would like nothing but responsible men in your life. Men who carry their own condoms with enough self-control to abstain from baby-making acts should you not be on the pill and you've both forgotten the foreskins.

But when a mistake happens, and mistakes will happen in life, you want a compassionate man like Ken at your side – someone who will support you every step of the way to solve problems. What you don't want is a fellow like Terry McAuliffe who would carelessly stand aside in a crisis, declaring, "It's your choice". Championing only your last resort so he doesn't have to deal with the decision himself nor interfere with pesky associated burdens. Like leaving a woman with no alternative but single-motherhood, over life-long heartache of giving a child up for adoption, or worse, choosing to end that child's chance at life.

Fortunately, you have the opportunity to circumvent such futile extremes before things get out of hand. On November 5th, you can elect a man who's caring, compassionate and responsible. With a proven record of defending the welfare of all Virginians – no matter their sex, lifestyle or income level. Or, you can stand aside and let low-information voters like those at the behest of daytime talk-show divas cause you to settle for a boy like Terry McAuliffe. It's your choice. Be smart about it, while you still control the situation.

– T. Peterson, Alexandria, VA