Remember: Abortion kills human life | Letter

Letter to the Editor Sparks Debate Over Abortion in Maine

Gorham, Maine – In a recent letter to the editor published in the Press Herald on September 26, 2026, Dan Pryor of Gorham expressed a strongly pro‑life position on abortion. The letter, which appears on the paper’s online platform, argues that abortion ends a human life that begins at conception and labels the pro‑choice movement as “selfish” in America.

Pryor writes, “There is nothing more selfish in America than the ‘pro-choice’ abortion movement,” and adds that “abortion kills human life growing in the mother’s womb.” He explains that at the moment of conception, a new individual’s DNA is formed and that all physical traits—including eye color, hair color, bone structure, and skin tone—are already encoded. According to Pryor, “the physical attributes are fully written in that DNA code” from the very start, and he contends that abortion is “self‑centered murder of the innocent.”

The letter references a still‑image of a 10‑week fetus, describing it as “stunning” and noting that at three to six weeks the fetal heart “is pumping blood in and out of a primitive heart.” Pryor suggests that this visual evidence underscores the “small, yet formed, human life” that exists early in pregnancy.

Pryor also comments on the historical context of abortion policy. He notes that after the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, “Planned Parenthood discovered how lucrative abortion was.” The letter alludes to a separate article titled “What Maine women who remember life before Roe are saying about Susan Collins,” implying that older generations who recall the pre‑Roe era hold different views on the issue.

While the letter’s tone is uncompromising, it adds to the ongoing debate in Maine over reproductive rights. The state’s abortion laws have remained largely unchanged since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing individual states to set their own policies. However, the Press Herald editorial board has not yet responded to Pryor’s letter.

The discussion reflects broader national conversations about abortion, the timing of fetal viability, and the moral questions that continue to divide communities across the United States.