So Texas has pretty much outlawed abortion ("Texas begins abortion vigilante era," front page, Sept. 3). Well, surely, they expanded access to birth control, opened more Planned Parenthoods to facilitate that and support sex education in the schools. No? Well, of course, then, they have mandated paid family leave, universal free preschool and subsidized child care costs? They haven't? Then they must support health insurance for all, not to mention paternity tests to find the other parent of these babies, who will be born and need support, both financial and emotional, for the rest of their lives? And obviously, based on their belief in the sanctity of life, specifically for children, they are pro-vaccine and advocates for mask mandates?

None of that? So these babies will now be born to low-income mothers (we know all the wives, girlfriends, daughters, mistresses of these legislators who voted for this can easily pay for a flight out of Texas to get their abortion), who will need support from the "system" whether it be food stamps, Medicaid, etc. They will be criticized and put down for being lazy, receiving government aid and having so many children.

If this fight was really about caring for babies and children, don't you think they might help them once they are out of the womb?

Megan Nuthals, Plymouth

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No question, an unwanted pregnancy is challenging or worse. And if no abortion takes place the mother normally gets to live. If someone is genuinely convinced through an individual sense of ethics and logic that an unborn child with a heartbeat is human, then there are two lives and bodies involved, not just one. I just ask that readers think about that.

Jim Bartos, Maple Grove

The state of Texas has surrendered its law enforcement responsibilities to crowdsourced agitators and activists, and the Supreme Court has taken a pass on preventing it. Any Texas citizen can now sue their neighbor, force them to reimburse that complaining neighbor for legal costs, and pay an additional $10,000 to boot as punishment, for simply helping someone else seek constitutionally protected health care.

Democratic lawmakers should perhaps respond in kind. There are many other protected activities where imaginative lawmakers could similarly create a risk of being sued by any citizen, without cause or personal harm, when certain constitutional rights are deemed offensive, but legislators are otherwise unable to get rid of it. Unleashing citizen justice with creative lawmaking against gun rights might be one such area.

David Pederson, Excelsior

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The main enforcement mechanism of the new Texas abortion law is reminiscent of the tactics used by the Stasi in East Germany and by Stalin's regime in Russia. They both encouraged average citizens, neighbors, co-workers, and/or estranged family members to identify and report those whom they accused of not toeing to the party line. Many grudges were settled and rivals eliminated by this practice. Texas goes a step farther by actually financially subsidizing, up to $10,000, lawsuits against anyone assisting a woman in any way to get an abortion. This would include not only abortion providers, but family doctors, counselors, family members or friends of the woman seeking an abortion. Of course the people who are fingered and subjected to a lawsuit aren't killed as they were in Russia and East Germany, they just risk having their careers destroyed and being financially ruined.

Valerie Nebel, St. Paul

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Republicans are getting closer to their goal of depriving women the right to make decisions over their own body, while ironically protesting the wearing of a mask because it impedes their freedom. Hey, Republicans, be careful what you wish for. For the foreseeable future, every Republican politician will be asked if they believe the Texas law is something they'd like to replicate. Your answer in support of the law may win you a primary, but good luck in a general in any but the most red of states. You've all had an easy ride when turning back Roe v. Wade was an abstraction, but now it's real. You are going to be facing two generations of women who have only known a constitutional right to choose. You may win this round, but women make up a larger portion of the electorate, and we vote.

Betsy Yarosh, St. Louis Park

I am a senior citizen, have some chronic health problems, am a cancer survivor, and am a nurse. Although no longer employed as a nurse, I like to think my nurse mentality remains strong.

I believe other nurses respond in similar circumstances. I've never been questioned for the actions I've taken in these situations. I don't remember ever being called a liar or accused of having an ulterior motive for simply assisting another person in need.

So, the rash of vaccine misinformation around me is disturbing and heavily discouraging, especially the outright blatant dismissal of scientific facts.

This reality now gives me sad pause. At times my granddaughters express interest in health care vocations. While it's still early for any major decisions in their education, I'm not sure I should encourage them. My experiences in nursing have been challenging and incredibly fulfilling, and I would likely choose the same profession again. But I don't want my granddaughters berated, doubted, or harassed when they choose a healing profession. They deserve the same respect I've received.

What do you think I should say to my granddaughters?

Lynette Thompson, North Oaks

I understand that neighbors want something positive in their neighborhood. But this is a high-quality transit and bike-route super-nexus. We need people here, not greenhouses full of hydroponics chemicals. We should build new public, or at least affordable, housing. Using this land for a tiny greenhouse in agricultural-superstar Minnesota is insanity. Literally hundreds of people are sleeping rough within blocks of this site. $12 million can buy a lot of community gardens and after-school programs, if that's what neighbors want. Let's not tie ourselves to an albatross like an urban farm. We need a real plan for this site, not just a cool-sounding idea.

Andrea Kiepe, Minneapolis