In response to Brian E. Anderson, many of the founders were religious; they were Deists to be exact ("Religion has shaped policies since country was founded," Jan. 23).

The desire to separate church and state was most important at the height of the Enlightenment because differences of religion were, had been and still are tearing apart the Western world. What is dangerous is the legalizing of morality over basic human rights. Anderson mentions abortion as a divisive topic for religiously influenced lawmaking on "right and wrong" opposed to what is "fair." What gets lost in the shuffle is the fact that the human right to medicine can be legally denied to women. Pregnancy is not a nine-month waiting period for the child to exit the womb. Biological shifts take place throughout the pregnancy that affect the woman on all levels, from psychology to physiology. More than her back is affected by the excess weight. Would you deny a pregnant woman from seeing a doctor? Of course not.

The right to choose is the basic right for women to seek counsel with regards to pregnancy and for her and her doctor to decide what is best for her medically. The effects of pregnancy are numerous. The reasons a woman may seek abortion as the best course are many as well. To criminalize abortion would not only interfere with health care for woman, but it would also violate the privacy of counsel between a patient and his or her doctor. "Pro-abortion" does not exist. This is a debate over medicine and patient/doctor rights.