According to an item in the Sunday, Aug. 19 edition of The Natchez Democrat, there have been 3,706 U.S. military deaths in Iraq since the beginning of the Iraq war four and a half years ago, of which 3,046 deaths occurred as a result of hostile action.

While there are those who would march in protest of the war, others of us would proudly march in honor of those brave men and women who gave their lives for their country and ours. Regardless of which side of the issue one is on, we all feel deep sorrow for this loss and grieve for their families.

The figure 3,706 serves as a grim reminder of yet another loss of even greater magnitude, one which is not as well publicized by the mainstream media perhaps because it’s not considered “politically correct” or even newsworthy.

I’m referring to the 3,700 deaths of innocent American children clinically aborted every day since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion for any reason at all (or for no reason at all).

The numbers speak for themselves. Legalized abortion is responsible for as many deaths in only one day as have occurred in the entire 4 1/2 years of fighting in Iraq. We are not talking about just one day here, this has gone on for 12,649 days and still counting. It’s not a pretty picture but “politically correct” or not, these are the hard facts. Our case must rest on the facts.

What we do about it is up to us. Since the unborn child cannot speak for himself, if we don’t speak up for him, no one will. On behalf of these children, I urge you to do so.

Virginia O’Beirne

Natchez resident

Co-Chair Pro-Life Natchez Adams County