Letter to the editor: A horrific sight

To the Editor: There was an anti-abortion rally in front of Van Pelt on Monday, as few who passed through campus will have failed to notice. I have no quarrel with those who cannot support abortion (provided that they educate their children about the efficacy of condoms). I certainly have no quarrel with the free expression of ideas, and a university campus is one of the most promising venues for the airing of diverse opinions and beliefs. I do take issue, however, with the posters that the protesters displayed. They were sensationalistic and gory, depicting a bloody, partially dismembered fetus, presumably the result of a late-term abortion - which is neither a common nor an easily obtainable procedure. These posters show images that should never be put before the eyes of children, and those who claim to be protecting the rights of unborn children ought to be more considerate of the psychological health of those children who have been born and who might, in the course of their day, be confronted with such images. I have a five-year-old niece, and I would not like to have to explain to her what those pictures show. I am an adult, I know what abortion is, and I can deal with images that portray the unarguable horror of it. My niece, at her young age, should never, never have to ponder such a thing. It serves no one, and it does nothing but cause undue distress to those who least deserve it. The protesters' pro-child stance would be more believable if they showed the same concern for the living children who often play on campus as they claim to feel for the unborn.

Alison Traweek The author is graduate student in Classical Studies

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