Editor’s note: Jon Monteith volunteers for Dr. David Gill’s congressional campaign.

Young people, particularly college students, find most politicians disheartening. It’s not that we aren’t political – this just happens to be a generation that admires passion over blandness.

Unfortunately, older individuals – those more likely to vote – often prefer a more subdued approach, and the candidates act accordingly. See ya, Howard Dean. Hello, Sen. John Kerry.

But guess what? In an area like Champaign-Urbana, students have enough strength in numbers to sway local elections. And if it’s genuine passion they seek, they will find it in congressional candidate Dr. David Gill.

Knowing I would be a part of this community for the next few years, I decided to make sure our local politicians were doing an effective job. After comparing him to Tim Johnson, the current Republican representative in our district, it became obvious that Gill best represents my views.

David Gill has never run for political office. He is an emergency room doctor who looks at controversial issues from a unique perspective – distancing himself from the sugarcoated babble coming from so many politicians nowadays.

For example, look at Gill’s take on abortion. On his campaign Web site, Dr. Gill makes his position clear: Many women have abortions, because they lack the education and available contraception to prevent pregnancy. These are two obstacles he will address as a member of Congress.

As someone who sees firsthand the consequences of health-related public policy, he believes it would be a medical disaster to ban abortion entirely. His passion as a defender of women’s health enables him to speak plainly and honestly about a politically dangerous subject.

In fact, an overwhelming majority of physicians support Dr. Gill on this issue. According to a 2002 Medical Economics survey, when asked, “Should abortion remain legal?” 69 percent of doctors said yes.

Meanwhile, Johnson has a different stance on abortion rights. He believes abortion should be legal only in cases of rape, incest or when a woman’s life is endangered. What a brilliant policy, considering that currently, one in five abortions in the United States is performed on a college student. If Johnson’s views were made public policy, students unable to handle the stress of accidental pregnancy would have to resort to dangerous back-alley abortions.

We have a problem with unwanted pregnancies in this country, and we need to work toward a solution that makes abortion legal but rare. Johnson’s solution only would increase the health risk posed by accidental pregnancies. Dr. Gill understands that. Tim Johnson apparently does not.

At a recent political forum, Dr. Gill stated his view on another controversial subject: the Death with Dignity Act.

This measure, approved in 1994 by Oregon voters, permits doctors to prescribe, but not administer, a lethal-drug dose to patients seeking assisted suicide. The law applies only if the patient is mentally competent, in great pain and intent on ending his or her life.

Dr. Gill supports a national law that allows patients in unbearable pain to seek an end to their suffering. He understands the dilemma physicians face. On one hand, they aim to preserve human life; but on the other hand, they must respect the patient’s independence and dignity.

Though the medical community remains divided on the issue, the public has taken a more definitive stance. According to Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion-research organization, 70 percent of U.S. citizens believe a doctor should be allowed to help end a terminally ill patient’s life if the patient and the patient’s family request it. Dr. Gill, a man who has dealt with patients facing unbearable pain, has the courage to speak out on their behalf.

I have listened to my peers, and they are tired of being represented by dishonest individuals who run on campaigns of empty promises and mudslinging. In the midst of an otherwise vile election year, David Gill is someone who means what he says. And as far as I’m concerned, he’s just what the doctor ordered.

Jon Monteith is a sophomore in LAS. His column runs Tuesdays. He can be reached at [email protected].