Roe v. Wade and gasoline prices

Who am I to give my spouse permission?

In the 1980s, my husband and I decided that our best birth control would be for him to have a vasectomy. The urologist would only do it if I signed a paper giving him permission. I did, but I was shocked that I could have stopped the procedure by not signing. It was his body, and who was I to have to give permission?

Controlling other people's personal choices is a step along the path away from democracy ["Roe v. Wade stirs heated discourse," Letters, May 22]. His choice has kept me from having to make a choice over any future pregnancies. Our personal choices are our own business.

So much for less government interference that the right wing says it wants.

Joy Rubenstein, Lake Ronkonkoma

NY gas prices are higher than necessary

It's very difficult for the American consumer to not feel ripped off when reading, "Meanwhile, oil producers and refineries have seen profits soar this year" ["Why are LI gas prices so high?" News, May 22]. If the higher gas prices are indeed due to the higher price that the oil companies are paying for crude, their profit margins should have stayed the same, in line with the increased gas prices. Since their profits are soaring, they are clearly profiteering from the increase in the price of crude. This is something Congress should look into instead of taking cheap shots at President Joe Biden.

I hoped the average price of $4.97 for a gallon of regular gas on Long Island on Friday was a misprint. On May 12, I left Long Island for North Carolina. I filled my tank in Mastic for $4.19 a gallon, then again in Virginia for $4.16. On May 14, I paid $4.19 in South Carolina. Saturday, I drove back from Florida, where I paid $4.47. Why is New York $4.97? To me, that's price gouging. It should not have increased from $4.16 to $4.97 in one week, especially when the other states have held steady or only had a few cents increase.

Barbara Haynes, Hauppauge