Letter: Abortion Is Health Care

To the Editor:

Seventy percent of Americans support safe and legal abortions. Abortion is health care, and is a basic human right that has been protected by Roe for the past 50 years. Yet this right has been rescinded by six radical, ultraconservative Supreme Court judges, three of whom were appointed by a president who failed to win the popular vote.

Maybe that 70 percent got too complacent and took this right for granted. But the lesson is learned: No constitutional right is safe any longer. Many of us are outraged by the court's decision that does not even allow for abortion in cases of rape or incest.

But if we want our rights restored, outrage alone is not enough. We must do all we can to mobilize the vote for pro-choice Democratic candidates this November and in November of 2024 to keep Democrats in control of Congress and ensure that abortion rights are protected. If Republicans take back Congress in November, we face the dire prospect that they will enact a federal ban on abortion, criminalizing the procedure nationwide, and that other reproductive rights, such as access to contraception and the right to marry whom we choose, will be under attack.

In the meantime, if you want to join the fight, visit the Berkshire Brigades Facebook page.

Louise Farkas
Pittsfield, Mass.

Farkas is a member of the Berkshire Brigades steering committee. 

Dalton Library Holds Adult Reading Challenge

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Monday, February 02, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The library is making book enthusiasts nostalgic thanks to its adult reading challenge that encourages people to expand their horizons in the literature world. 

 

Many may remember, from their school years, being challenged to read for a chance to win a pizza or, for this writer, a school trip to the cinema to watch their book come alive on screen. 

 

The Dalton Free Public Library has reawakened that experience for its patrons 18 and older until March 27 at 1 p.m. 

 

Visit the library to get your game board and after reading a book let library staff know to get your raffle ticket or track your progress online. 

 

Readers can choose any book they like as long as it aligns with one of the options in the three categories: Who, With What, and Where. 

 

Every book that fits a subcategory earns you a raffle ticket, and if you complete all the subcategories within a section, you’ll score a bonus ticket. 

 

The more you read and explore, the better your chances of winning one of the three raffle baskets, each a $100 value. The cost of the baskets were donated by the Friends of the Dalton Library.