Editor:

In response to your unsigned editorial (“Education not a high enough priority for Utah women,” Sept. 25), I strongly disagree. It seems that many of the connections that are being made between the LDS Church and women not applying to medical school have been grossly misinterpreted.

First of all, you cannot assume that bankruptcy rates and poor ranking for education can be attributed to a church supposedly “telling” women to get an education as a fallback in case their husband dies. Gordon B. Hinckley was not telling the women to get an education only as insurance in case her husband dies. What he meant was that getting an education can help you become well-rounded by acquiring many different skills in many different areas. It is up to the woman if she wants to apply her degree toward a career-it is always encouraged.

As far as Utah’s ranking lowest in education, there will always be flaws (as would any public educational system). Classroom sizes may be larger on average than the rest of the country, but that does not mean that we have bad education programs. The Salt Lake Tribune ran an article (“Utahns top the U.S. average in SAT entrance exam scores,” Aug. 30) that showed SAT exam scores in Utah’s public schools are above the national average.

A very small number of bankruptcies may be from young widows whose husbands left them with twelve kids, but how many can be from situations like that? Don’t you think that ridiculously oversized and overpriced houses (along with toys) are a bigger cause of bankruptcy than young widows?

Since when did the LDS Church tell anyone to buy an amazing house with seven bathrooms and a five-car garage right out of college?

Answer: It DIDN’T. Those are the things that society is telling us to achieve-along with valuing money and possessions over children.

Cassidy Fullmer

Mass Communication