In his recent op-ed, “The truth about sex trafficking” (Web, Jan. 15), Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II says awareness is key to ending the brutal practice that tricks young girls ages 12 to 14 into prostitution. Mr. Cuccinelli quotes the figure of 300,000 children in the United States annually forced to prostitute themselves with no escape from their prisons.
He suggested we can help by offering our time and financial support to charities that aid these victims, by explaining to children how to protect themselves and by having medical personnel trained to recognize victims and report their plight to the police. Mr. Cuccinelli might also have suggested that President Obama stop financing Planned Parenthood with hundreds of millions of dollars — even after the organization was caught by journalist Lila Rose abetting johns seeking abortions for young girls.
A second suggestion is to reinstate the grant to the Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services to continue helping sex-trafficking victims. Mr. Obama defunded the program because it would not refer victims for abortion. This despite the fact that the bishops were given excellent grades on their services to the sex-trafficking victims.
Mr. Obama, like the Tin Man in the “Wizard of Oz,” needs to get a heart. He ought to show some compassion for these young girls and take steps to help them.
JOHN NAUGHTON
Silver Spring
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