Inbox

The Pill at 50
As a female college student, I want to thank you for publishing your cover story on the Pill [May 3]. Not only should our generation be informed of the history of struggle that has provided us with the liberties and opportunities we have today, but we should also dedicate ourselves to fighting for the future generations of women who deserve the same choices and control over their bodies. That continued fight is girl power!
Molly Kammien,
Boston

Your article was, in my opinion, a blatant revision of the past. Particularly disturbing is your omission of such key points as Margaret Sanger’s role in supporting eugenics and the role of oral contraception in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV, and its debated link to the development of breast cancer in young women. Considering the pivotal part played by Planned Parenthood in performing abortions on minority women, Sanger would no doubt smile if she were alive and say, “Mission accomplished.”
Robert Morrison,
Newtown, Pa., U.S.

I was a married college sophomore in 1971, and I can remember the moment that the Pill changed my life. I was staring at my pack of Ortho Novums, and suddenly the world was a much bigger place. Maybe I could follow my curiosity and change my major from education to prepharmacy. After I assured the entrance committee that I intended to actually practice pharmacy and not pull out of the workforce to become a homemaker, I was accepted into the program. I have enjoyed my career as a pharmacist and am grateful for the little pill that started it all.
Gloria Peck,
Orlando, Fla., U.S.

The story is an account of evil’s victory over good. Because it has the potential to remove all restraint from sexual activity, the pill has become a potent cause for the destruction of family values. Where there is no accountability for one’s actions there can only be licentiousness, not liberty.
Nazar da Silva,
Moira, India

Greed Is Still Good, Right?
Re “The Case Against Goldman Sachs” [May 3]: I doubt Goldman would have developed such a high-risk management style if it had remained a partnership that was at risk for any failures in speculative transactions.
Gerry Snyder,
Minneapolis

Among the missing facts in the Goldman Sachs article is any reference to how these dismal mortgages we all know about came to be. The record reflects that Democrat-led committees required that the banks accept poorly supported loan documents in support of the Democrats’ low-income-housing objectives and that the banks, including Goldman Sachs, got rid of these loser mortgages by bundling them into derivatives and other products that were borderline worthless. In other words, the U.S. Congress, led by Democrats, shares responsibility for the mess you describe at Goldman Sachs.
Edward Blewett,
Centennial, Colo., U.S.

Fraud is a crime and should be dealt with accordingly. Put the traders and bankers responsible for deceiving investors and endangering the worldwide economy behind bars. Any other penalty, like fines valued at several hundred million dollars, will be peanuts for Goldman Sachs and its ilk.
Günter Schröder,
Bad Honnef, Germany