The Reader’s Viewpoint

What to do about the embryos?

Snowflake children as some call them are embryos frozen away for future use. It costs about $1,000 dollars a year to keep embryos frozen. What happens when there is a divorce? Should embryos be used for stem cell use? Should one divorced parent be able to use the embryos if divorced from her husband? Courts have been deciding all this in our country. Freeze-dried children should have all the rights of a living human being as far as I am concerned. Can divorced parents be forced to pay child support on embryos that are used by someone? There are lots of questions in my mind over snowflake children. They even could be used in future space flights. Only God knows where this will all end.

Eugene Wiesner of Laurel

Illegal robocallers continue to harass

Across the country banks, payday lenders, retailers, and other robocallers petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to loosen rules barring certain robocalls, specifically using automated dialing systems (autodialers) and consumers’ right to revoke consent to receive calls. Just last month, our 406 area code received over 7 million robocalls. If Congress and the FCC don’t act fast, next month could be worse. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the foremost consumer protection from unwanted robocalls, is being called into question by a recent court ruling in DC. Large corporations like Spectrum, a major source of robocalls to Montanans, joined banks, payday lenders, student loan servicers and their lobbyists in pushing the FCC to rob consumers of essential protections against unwanted robocalls. They want the FCC to eviscerate the prohibition against autodialed calls and texts to cell phones without the consumer’s consent, and to strip us of our right to tell robocallers to stop calling. Our privacy is on the line, Senator Tester and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, which oversees the FCC, should demand that the Commission protects Montanans, not robocallers. Congress and the FCC must protect our right to be free from unwanted and unrelenting robocalls.

Katie Sutton, OrganizingMT@gmail.com Montana Organizing Project montanaorganizingproject.org