The recent vice presidential debate made one thing perfectly clear to me: Paul Ryan is Talibanesque in his approach to a woman’s right to choose. He flatly stated that his religious beliefs would make him appoint judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that made abortion legal and safe in this country.

Ryan is too young to remember, and probably would not care, what it was like for a woman who wanted an abortion before Roe v. Wade. But I do.

If they could afford it, they went to Mexico, where many died of botched abortions, by socalled “doctors,” which occurred in filthy back rooms. If they didn’t die, many ended up with scarred and damaged genitalia and psyches.

If they could not afford Mexico, many used coat hangers or other items to end their unwanted pregnancies, or had “back alley” abortions — many dying as a result.

Do we want politicians who force their religious beliefs on others? Are we not in Afghanistan and Iraq in part to better the lives of the women and girls of those countries, because they have suffered under the rule of religious zealots?

Let’s not let this happen in America, in 2012. Vote no on Romney and Ryan.