Abortions should be treated as elective surgery

Regarding Ellen Goodman's Nov. 13 column ("Caving In on Abortion") and David M. Shribman's Nov. 15 column ("Abortion Makes a Comeback"):

I cannot understand all this discourse regarding the proposed health-care plan paying for abortions. Why would the government even consider paying for abortions? Unless medically necessary, abortions are elective surgery. The individual decides, even in good health, that she wants an abortion. Plastic surgery is also considered elective surgery.

Therefore, if and when our new health-care program is implemented, and a healthy woman elects to have an abortion and the government pays for it, I would like to elect to have cosmetic plastic surgery. I too have something to discard -- wrinkles!

Certainly erasing wrinkles cannot be equated with choosing to erase a life; however, elective surgery is elective surgery. Sounds fair to me.

LOIS HELD

Whitehall