Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I am writing a letter in regards to an article written titled ‘A word about babies’ that was published in your last issue. I firmly agree and support freedom of speech, but that doesn’t mean I gracefully accept what people have to say; this article being one of those instances. I was greatly disturbed by the whole thing. There wasn’t one single line that DIDN’T piss me off! My feelings grew stronger as the article gained momentum towards the end. Although, as a whole, the article upset me, I have to say I agree with very few points. They include: women having a special gift of giving life and that some people need some self control. But I pretty much disagree with everything else.

For awhile I thought the same as the writer of this article does -- abortion shouldn’t be an option in any situation -- but now I have opened my mind and eyes to reality. Though abortion would never be an option for me, I am very much pro-choice. And I honestly don’t see how you could think different. A woman gets raped and ends up pregnant. She is supposed to carry to term and have a child of a rapist? Should she have that fate to carry the rest of her life? I know there is adoption and blah blah blah, but should a woman’s life be decided by a bunch of chauvinistic pigs of the state legislature or national government, who will never know such humiliation of being impregnated as a result of rape?

I have a friend who has a bumper sticker that, although simply put, speaks volumes. It reads, ‘If you can’t trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?’ This, to me, is such a true and direct statement that it’s hard to just look away and not think of what it truly stands for.

There was one part in which I had to read it a few times to let the words sink in and try to tell myself I wasn’t just imagining the words and that in the article women who chose abortion are in fact similar to Hitler. I don’t care who you are, but there is a huge difference between a woman who gets an abortion and a man who chose genocide. Hitler gathered thousands of Jewish people, young and old, and stuck them in gas chambers and killed them by the hundreds. It’s not like there are groups of women who all get pregnant at the same time and form a group and all go get abortions at the same. So comparing women of choice to Nazi leader like Hitler is very extreme and much uncalled for.

Now on to the sex issue. It’s hard to read this article and not take offense to the slut comment. Just for having pre-marital sex? Upon a further in-depth look at the wording, it’s understood that it’s not directly aimed at people like me, but more at women who are promiscuous. Nonetheless, it’s still offensive. And don’t you agree that it’s extreme to tell people to just all together refrain from sex? ‘The best form of birth control is abstinence. ’Isn’t that how it goes?

Personally, I think its b. s. It’s unrealistic and obviously sets people up for failure. We live in a country of strip bars and porno shops. Nowadays a young movie star or singer will make more money if she shows a little more skin. We live in a world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll baby and abstinence just ain’t happening.

There are definitely other options for birth control without going to the extremes. For women: sponges, diaphragms, the ring, the pill, the patch, and the shot, just to name a few. And for men: condoms. Plain and simple. For more information you can call your local Planned Parenthood. The people there are more than helpful and will answer any question you can think of… this is also a clinic for men to go to also, so don’t think it’s just a chick place. So the moral of this is: women - you have a voice, so use it and men - until you are faced with the reality of being raped and pregnant (which will be umm…never) and are having to make the choice, then your opinions and laws won’t really matter. Till then, have an open mind and not just a judgmental, I-was-raised-this-way attitude.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Silva