To the editor:
I don't know where Mary John (Forum, Nov. 18) got her information about the Utah Association of Women, but I would like to set the record straight.I am a member of that organization. I work, I believe in freedom of choice and I have never received pressure to do otherwise. I always understood that except for self-defense (and in defense of our country in time of war), my freedom ends when it endangers the life or rights of another human being.
Our resolution on the family includes nothing about mothers working outside the home, but we are for quality child care.
Our resolution states that "Whereas, a successful home is the most basic building block of all civilized society; . . . therefore, be it resolved, that the Utah Association of Women support recommendations that provide protection for the integrity of the family unit and promote responsibility and respect of family members for each other."
Our resolution on abortion states:
"Whereas, responsible legal and medical authorities are concluding that life indeed begins at conception, making abortion at any time the killing of a human being, and
"Whereas, the so-called right to reproductive freedom does not only entail the rights of the mother, but should also entail the rights of the unborn child.
"Be it therefore resolved that the Utah Association of Women opposes abortion on demand and supports existing and proposed federal and state legislation which forbids the use of public funds for abortion . . . and that the Utah Association of Women support educational programs that teach moral sexual behavior and preparation for responsible parenthood."
If we are considered a radical group, so are all others who espouse moral and traditional values, strong families and communities, and legislation that protects and promotes those values.
L. Baadsgaard
Salt Lake City