Opinion: Aborted fetuses are human beings. Texas is right to require their dignified burial.

To the editor: Your arguments against a new Texas law to require that fetal remains from abortions not be treated as normal medical waste are specious. (“Texas anti-abortion forces now want fetuses to be buried or cremated,” editorial, June 12)

An unborn baby is a human being, not an an orange or a mouse or a tree, and as a human it has whatever rights humans have. The rights are “inalienable” because they are inherent in human nature, not bestowed by someone else and not dependent upon the stage of development. We accord all humans our respect and treat them with dignity, regardless of age or infirmity, as fellow members of our species.

Acknowledging the fact that all humans have dignity has nothing to do do with “shaming women who choose to have abortions.” That is a total non sequitur.

Gregory Polito, MD, Whittier

..

To the editor: A few years ago, then-Gov. Rick Perry toured California to invite businesses to move to Texas. He touted his state as having low taxes, limited regulations and affordable housing.

Members of the Texas Legislature convene for one session every two years, and each time they manage to pass draconian laws restricting abortions rights. Supposedly, it is all done to protect women’s health and the dignity of the fetus.

But really, it is a war against women.

Most women in Texas probably feel these draconian laws do not apply to them, but no one can predict what healthcare she might need and when. As a woman I would never move to Texas or move my daughters or granddaughters. It is a dangerous place for women.

Donna Handy, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: To counter claims that a fetus has “rights” and that abortion is homicide, you say the following: “Science and the courts simply don’t back up what abortion opponents so fervently preach. A fetus in the first and most of the second trimester cannot survive outside the uterus. In fact, under Roe vs. Wade, legal elective abortions are not performed on fetuses that are viable.”

Clearly you mean that viability is the point at which a fetus acquires rights and abortion becomes homicide. Thanks to modern medicine, fetuses that were not viable 20 years ago may be viable today, and it’s likely that medical science and technology will continue to advance.

So, does “what is human” depend on the state of medical technology when a pregnancy occurs?

Tim Powers, San Bernardino

..

To the editor: I used to do what they called “clinic defense” for the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League, and I think it’s fair to say that Texas legislators are being “mawkish.” If not, then they need to learn calculus, because I think it can be used to reasonably argue that human life does not begin instantaneously.

Assuming the state of Texas is willing to pay for the burials it would require were its action to pass constitutional muster, would it then go on to require that a woman’s menses be submitted to the government for inspection? I ask with the sincerest respect for those who have lost their babies to miscarriage when they wanted to see their pregnancies to term.

Ronald Webster, Long Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook