Regarding Monica Hesse’s March 9 Style column “Do women feel welcome in Katie Britt’s kitchen?”:

I guess I’m the target audience of Sen. Katie Boyd Britt’s (R-Ala.) rebuttal to the State of the Union speech. I’m a stay-at-home mom of three kids, with a fourth on the way. I’m college-educated. I’m a Christian. And I’m a registered independent, with nuanced views, who voted for Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. I live outside a major city in a swing state.

There’s been a lot of mockery of the choice to deliver the speech in a kitchen instead from the Senate floor and of her delivery. But what stood out to me was a small but powerful detail: the cross Ms. Britt wore around her neck.

Last week, I led a Bible study focusing on the sixth chapter of the Book of John. The apostle John juxtaposes the thousands who wanted to get something from Jesus with the tiny handful who were willing to actually follow Him and His teachings. For years, I have continually struggled with seeing politician after politician slap the name of Jesus on top of behavior, positions and rhetoric I believe Jesus would find reprehensible.

In Ms. Britt’s speech, she used the tragic story of the trafficking of a brave advocate, Karla Jacinto, as a warning against President Biden’s border policies. The senator’s recounting of the story was carefully worded to evoke the fears of mothers like me. Yet it was not truthful.

Ms. Britt claimed that “the cartels put [Ms. Jacinto] on a mattress,” but this woman was not trafficked by cartels. Ms. Britt implied this crime happened in the United States, but it took place in Mexico — and more than a decade before President Biden was elected. Frankly, as someone who has mentored children who have crossed the border, I find that these political tactics exploit the vulnerable, confuse the public and contribute to political polarization that hinders the bipartisan cooperation necessary to make the world safer for at-risk children. By twisting and exploiting Ms. Jacinto’s story for political purposes, Ms. Britt is causing harm to these children,

I don’t know Ms. Britt, but I would implore her, if she follows Jesus and wears His symbol — a representation of laying down power for others — to do what most politicians claiming the name of Jesus often don’t do: wholeheartedly repent for the misuse of this woman’s story. And if not, to consider taking off the cross around her neck. To Ms. Jacinto, I don’t know you either. But you are standing for those with no voice, and you’re continuing to tell the truth. I don’t know whether you follow Jesus. But you look like Him to me.

Kim Muhich, Davidson, N.C.

As a mom, I listened with interest to Ms. Britt’s response to the State of the Union address. She piqued my interest with her comments about Laken Riley.

Where she lost me was when she said she was fearful of the same fate befalling her daughter. Moms have enough to worry about without adding the fear of a child being assaulted by an undocumented immigrant. In fact, statistically speaking, your child is much more likely to be killed or injured just by going to school or to a neighborhood park, or even in your own home from gun violence.

What happened to Laken Riley is tragic. However, Congress could keep even more children and women safe by passing sensible gun control measures.

Peg Blomme, Oakton

Seated at her kitchen table in Montgomery, Ala., Sen. Katie Boyd Britt delivered a dramatic rebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union aimed at female voters. What Ms. Britt left out was far more critical than what she said.

After much dramatic fanfare about the dire conditions along the southern border, she wholly neglected to mention that she was one of the Republican negotiators who helped broker a bipartisan border bill — or that she then voted against it at Donald Trump’s behest.

Though Ms. Britt says she supports continued access to in vitro fertilization after her home state’s Supreme Court threw that practice into jeopardy, she declined to mention her vehement opposition to abortion rights.

And while she repeatedly invoked the “dangers” facing our country, Ms. Britt conveniently ignored the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the attempt to subvert the peaceful transition of power and the former president’s promise to pardon the insurrectionists.

Ms. Britt did suburban women voters — and herself — no favors. She underestimated their intelligence, omitted the critical facts and failed to address the pressing issues of our day.

Elizabeth Langer, New York