MAILBOX

This week: A reader gives her opinions on the complexity of parents’ choices, a shout out from the Netherlands and an archived article saves an unsuspecting actor.

Fetal Favor
Regarding “Juli’s Choice” (Sept 12-18): Not to be insensitive, but it is strange when women attribute a personality to an unborn fetus and then grieve when the fetus has to be euthanized. This is an act of a mother (and/or father) pretending that they have what it takes to love a defective child unconditionally.
Actually, most people can’t handle it. The article handles the issue as if abortion (to my understanding) was nevertheless an inherently wrong choice. It actually was a favor to the unborn fetus. How can anyone think that it is a bad choice to terminate a pregnancy that would only result in a person with a genetic abnormality? Hospitals and children’s homes are filled with abandoned, handicapped and unadoptable children—and even with a lot of older adults whose parents thought they could never institutionalize or give up their genetically deformed or genetically abnormal child, but after having to care for such a needy life, people even grow to “hate” the life they decided to “heroically” bring into the world.
I live in a building in which certain apartments are allotted to severely disabled young adults. They need professional, round-the-clock nurses and caretakers to tend to them. They cannot talk and are literally like large infants who cry or shout or just have habits of moving their hands or legs uncontrollably. It is sad that other people laugh or stare, or use insulting words in the presence of these unfortunate individuals who apparently were abandoned by their parents. For anyone who thinks that it is “horrible” that a person would abort a defective fetus, that person should spend time in a facility for retarded or handicapped children or persons. The wasted lives are not some “favor” that someone did for them.
—Lucy Martinez, Manhattan

Far Away Sex
Hereby, I express my sadness for putting a halt to Dr. Dot’s sex column. We tried getting more conservative in our liberal little country called the Netherlands. It led to more greed, more hatred and less well-being. Although you are free to try the road yourself, it might be interesting to look at our little lab and draw conclusions.
—Onno Hansen, The Netherlands

Scam Revival
I would like to thank you for publishing your article, “The Casting Ouch: At some 500 bucks, Scott Powers offers the most expensive minute in show business” (Oct. 2005) about Scott Powers’ company.
I was enrolled in two of Powers’ courses, then after reading your article and other sources online providing that his business is a scam, I immediately withdrew before the courses began.
Thank you for informing the theatrical community and the public of his professional scam. It has been greatly appreciated, and it is sources like yours that truly provide the truth about some of these scamming companies.
—Brittany Q.