I submitted this in rebuttal to a Letter to the Editor in the Laconia Daily Sun (P. 7, March 23, 2012) (slightly expanded here):
It used to be that becoming an adult meant becoming independent and being self-responsible for their own well-being. Economic dependency on family was left behind along with the toys of childhood. It meant sober realization that what one wants, one earns. “Deserves” becomes relegated to childhood status;”earned”, its mature replacement.
Ms. Therriault shows her wish for maturity in stating “I control my body”. True enough; that’s what adults do – exhibit self-control. You have the ability to decide, within the statistical limits of reliable birth control and human discipline, how many children to have, when to have them, and when to start that family (it seems, too, that marriage is becoming more and more optional in today’s society. No wonder single moms are becoming the biggest proponents of “Government that gives you more with other peoples’ money” but that is grist for another letter).