Dear Editor,

It appears that several of your readers misunderstood or chose to ignore the thesis of my letter of Oct. 21. I am not against education. I am for parental responsibility.

Parents should not birth or adopt children unless they can pay for every single expense that those children incur from birth to adulthood, including education. Having children that one cannot completely support is selfishly expecting others to cover the debt.

Why should the child-free populace shoulder this debt? To ensure the survival of the human race? Clearly, Homo sapiens is not an endangered species. The Earth groans under the burden of her burgeoning population.

If the only people having children were those who could completely support them, the drain on our planetary resources would be far more acceptable.

The Constitution of the United States does not guarantee anyone the right to have children. It is the responsibility of the individual parent to accrue the finances to raise a child.

If people want children, they should find a way to pay for them, or refrain from having or adopting any. They have no right to expect anyone else to pay their child-rearing expenses, including public-subsidized education. Incidentally, if our public schools have not failed miserably, why are so many people in our community unable to read this newspaper?

Sincerely,

Amy Gardiner

New Castle