Editor:

I am writing in response to the Jan. 23 article “Students for Choice Celebrate Birthday of Roe v. Wade Case.”

As I read the article, I couldn’t feel anything but disgust. The reproductive rights of women were referred to many times. It almost seemed like Roe v. Wade was made out to be as important as the abolition of slavery.

Don’t misunderstand, I am all for women’s choice. The choice that needs to be made, however, is not whether to abort an unwanted pregnancy, but whether to become pregnant in the first place. We as humans are one of very few species that have sex for pleasure. It is the vehicle through which we reproduce. If that is not a “burden” for which a person is ready, maybe they should consider abstinence. Of course, non-consensual sex is an issue that would require a more in-depth analysis, but I don’t believe many would argue that point.

I remember many recent reports of young mothers being prosecuted for neglecting their newborn children. Many will say, that the issues are very different, but are they? The argument is made that the developing fetus is not alive, and therefore it is not murder. A fetus can not survive on its own, they say. Well, obviously neither can a newborn baby. Neither can many people who are only “alive” because they have a machine making them breath or their heart beat. We call it murder when a young woman puts her newborn in a trash bin, but abortion is OK. I have a hard time buying into that.

I believe that, with the exception of very few cases, abortion is wrong. I also believe that if women who have had abortions were questioned, many of them would do things very differently if given the chance.

Tyler Gasser

Senior, Human Development