To the Editor [of the Daily Progress]

I was pleased to read your July 23, 2003 editorial "No favoritism is permissible". You noted that a federal district court judge to blocked a "Choose Life" license plate in Louisiana because state legislatures "have violated free-speech rights" when they adopt a plate with one message while rejecting an alternative message. In Virginia, Governor Mark Warner vetoed a similar bill this year. (FYI, all Republican and Independent Delegates and Senators representing portions of Albemarle County voted for the plate. Both Democrats voted against it.)

Pro-choice groups would prefer that the state not promote any public policy positions on license plates. This year however, when it became apparent that the "Choose Life" plate was going to be approved by the Virginia General Assembly, a plate with the message "Pro-Family Pro-Choice" was offered in the Senate Transportation Committee. The committee rejected the idea that the other side has a right to be heard.

It is interesting to note that Delegate Richard Black (R- Loudoun), chief patron of the "Choose Life" plate, is a social conservative hardliner who supports restricting women's access to commonly used methods of birth control. When asked about an alternative message plate, he said that the only alternative was "Choose Death" and then described opponents as "hateful toward children." (Washington Times, March 6, 2003). We obviously cannot expect Delegate Black or his Republican supporters to serve as a voice of reason on this issue. His hostility toward those who do not support his point of view is strikingly similar to the Bush Administration's gag rule on international family planning funds.

Our constitutional right of free speech deserves our utmost attention and respect, especially during these times of intense public controversy. Let us hope that the Virginia General Assembly will heed your warning and that of our federal courts to maintain an open mind, one that rejects efforts to gag the opposition.

--Jenny Robinson, North Garden, VA (Daily Progress, August 1, 2003)