Letter: Abortion Is Health Care

Letter to the EditorPrint Story | Email Story

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 Yet this right has been rescinded by six radical, ultraconservative Supreme Court judges, three of whom were appointed by a president who failed to win the popular vote.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. 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

State Plans 2026 Construction Start for Holmes Road Bridge

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The state Department of Transportation plans to begin construction on the structurally deficient Holmes Road bridge this year. 

The structure between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue closed on Wednesday so that a signal can be installed for one-lane traffic beginning next week. 

"While the timeline for repairs is still being finalized, MassDOT aims to advertise this project for bids this summer, with construction set to begin later this year," John Goggin, MassDOT communications analyst, said via email on Wednesday. 

On Tuesday, the city notified residents that the bridge on Holmes Road, a well-traveled route, will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning March 2. 

Following a partial load rating analysis, MassDOT recommended that the city close the state-owned bridge with a plan to reopen it with an alternating one-way traffic pattern, Goggin reported. 

It's the third bridge in the Berkshires that's been downgraded in the past month: The Red Mills bridge in Clarksburg is set to be replaced with a temporary bridge, and the Park Street bridge in Adams has had weight restrictions placed on it.

Two years ago, a bridge farther down the road over the rail line on Holmes reopened after a partial closure since 2019 and a full closure of more than 60 days. 

The bridge over the Housatonic is identified as being structurally deficient by the state based on an inspection last October. Built in 1962, the 35-foot steel-and-concrete span has an overall condition of 4, or poor. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories