Sandra Mucci: Making individual choices is what New Hampshire tradition is all about

To The Daily Sun,

Have you ever helped someone make a significant medical decision?

I have when my father and husband were dying from cancer and when my 94-year-old grandmother was on her deathbed, refusing to take the morphine prescribed to ease her pain because she feared becoming addicted. Those are the most dramatic examples, but critical personal decisions require time, attention and often consultation with experts, doctors and family members.

The same process applies to other personal choices like: should I marry, join that church, divorce, move or stay? Individual choices are made by weighing and interpreting facts and feelings and decided in shades of gray, not black and white. The problem with legislation is that it's created in black-and-white terms; yes, this, no, that. The introduction of timelines and exceptions in the abortion debate unsuccessfully attempts to introduce some gray into a black-and-white process.

The real question about abortion is who gets to decide. The idea of not allowing women to weigh the facts of their individual circumstances, seek the advice of the people who are important to them and make the decision with which they will ultimately live seems un-American. Legislating personal decisions reduces the complexities to a black-and-white denial of the individual's rights. The first legislation limiting abortion access in New Hampshire was passed in January of this year. It is certainly not part of our tradition. The overturn of Roe put the responsibility of protecting women's rights on the states; I would like to see NH take a leadership role and codify women's full citizenship rights.

I am running for state representative from Meredith. The voters of Meredith need to hear from all the candidates. I look forward to the candidate forum on Oct. 24 and hope Lisa Smart can clear her calendar to join the conversation.

Sandra Mucci

Meredith