In her Oct. 21 article "Dozens of states make it difficult to get abortions," AP medical writer Lindsey Tanner concluded with minimal subtlety that laws protecting unborn children and vulnerable mothers are unreasonable.

Outside the context of abortion, informed-consent requirements are common and noncontroversial, yet Tanner laments that in some states women must be "warned" about what she terms "purported" risks, such as suicide. Yet the suicide link to abortion has been demonstrated in studies published in respected peer-reviewed publications such as the Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, the British Medical Journal, the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the Southern Medical Journal, and the European Journal of Public Health, to name a few.

Further demonstrating bias, Tanner states that laws protecting pain-capable unborn children are based on "a challenged premise," while not mentioning that few scientific claims go unchallenged. She also ignores the fact that many of the naysayers have a vested interest in the abortion industry. Independent study can be found at doctorsonfetal pain.com.

Lastly, saying President Obama "supports access to abortion" is an understatement. Obama's commitment to defending abortion without qualification is so absolute that he even voted as an Illinois state senator to deny care and protection to babies who survived an abortion.

Mary Spaulding Balch

Fredericksburg

The writer is director of the department of state legislation for the National Right to Life Committee.