Letters for Sunday, Dec. 28

Transgender sanity

Spokane’s Catholic Bishop Thomas Daly is one of the most vocal among American Catholic bishops who have declared war on children dealing with soul-grinding challenges surrounding gender identity. Daly voted with bishops in November who dictated that Catholic health care providers must employ “all appropriate resources” to “mitigate the suffering” of such patients, but they can use “only those means that respect the fundamental order of the human body,” which specifically prohibits gender-altering surgeries. Really?

Ask yourself, who should determine the “fundamental order” of the human body – religious leaders applying notions about gender identity based on moral constructs developed 2,000 years ago by human writers with no understanding of genetics or physiology, or the scientific and medical professionals guided by modern science? I’ll take modern science, thank you, as well as basic decency.

I have a nephew who once was my niece. From the time he was old enough to understand the differences between male and female, he said he knew he wasn’t a girl, and I trust him to make his own decisions about his own identity.

Gender identity decisions are medically complex, emotionally and spiritually challenging and socially volatile, but bullying medical professionals who are simply trying to do their job is indefensible. Gender identity is not a moral or religious issue, it’s a question of biological determination that deserves serious, respectful discussion. Imposing artificial barriers to properly address those challenges is reprehensible, cruel and unnecessary. And completely un-Christ-like.

Steve Blewett

Spokane

Affordable housing

Who is paying the $244 million for the affordable housing? It sure isn’t Ferguson!

David Darlow

Spokane

Baumgartner to Nigeria

Baumgartner, the first term (read no seniority or influence) congressman from Eastern Washington went to Nigeria to save the Christians in support of Trump’s threat to attack the African country. Apparently saving health care access and affordability for his constituents, including mostly rural territory, was too much to ask. Baumgartner’s still a loyal Trump lemming even after MAGA is rejecting the dangerous, mentally unbalanced amoral man.

John S. Emery

Spokane

Biased news

I quit reading The Spokesman-Review several years ago when the paper slid completely to the left. There was no balance in any of the reporting, editorials or even letters to the editor. But I missed the detailed coverage of my city and community. So I thought it was time to give it another chance.

Well, nothing has changed. DEI and toxic wokeness is alive and well at The Spokesman. Patty Murray going off about Pete Serrano was laughable. The letters to the editor were so left and hateful as to be almost unreadable. Anything about Congressman Baumgartner is entirely negative in spite of all the good this man is doing for Eastern Washington.

Nothing much has changed at The Spokesman. It’s still intolerant and hateful toward anything or anyone that dares to challenge their progressivism. Too bad. I was hoping for just the news.

Dave McCann

Spokane