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Certainly, I feel bad for Lisa, the woman whose no-account “boyfriend” was angered by being pursued for child support (“In the Name of the Father,” 2/19). But I feel much worse for her son, a little boy conceived by people without the skills or resources to care for him. Instead of requiring the name of the child’s father (who is often unlikely to provide any money, anyway) why doesn’t the welfare system require women like Lisa to receive full-time birth control, such as Depo-Provera? This country does not need more children without proper parents; mandatory birth control would reduce the welfare rolls, reduce the burden on unprepared single parents, and reduce the suffering of unwanted children. Why is this idea so difficult to promote?
Silver Spring, Md.
via the Internet