Replace extremist Barbieri

Two years ago, Idaho state Sen. Steve Vick and Rep. Vito Barbieri co-sponsored SB 1387, the bill that would force women seeking abortions to submit to an invasive vaginal ultrasound procedure. That bill made no exception for victims of rape or incest.

Barbieri, as chairman of a “crisis pregnancy center,” was quoted in The Spokesman-Review that this did not concern him. Specifically, he said: “My perspective is that it’s a life. It does not matter how the baby was conceived.”

Outrageous. How could Vick and Barbieri, as Republicans and by definition opponents to government regulations, sponsor such an intrusion into the private lives of others? This is utter hypocrisy.

How can Idaho voters with common sense elect people with such medieval views?

Vick and Barbieri also have extremist views on public education, guns on campuses, federal lands, etc. They oppose an increase in minimum wage, as well as federal help for the expansion of Medicaid insurance, even though this would insure many more Idahoans, and would relieve local taxpayers of having to cover medical expenses for the uninsured.

Unfortunately, Vick is unopposed, but we hope that Barbieri is replaced by Cheryl Stransky, who is definitely the better candidate.

Juergen Nolthenius

Coeur d’Alene