Letter: Children aren’t property

By Cassie Cleary

I agree with most of the points made in Thursday’s editorial. In fact, I have very little faith that the country will even be able to survive another four years of the Bush administration. However, I strongly disagree that the government should not have the power to decide “whether a woman must bear a child,” as if it’s the bearing that’s the issue. The concern is over the killing of the child, not the bearing. The law should protect children in the womb, just as it protects children outside the womb. It’s a wonder no one questions laws against mothers killing their 5-year-olds, because they don’t want to carry the burden of children anymore. Supporters of abortion act like children in the womb are merely property of the mother. Since when are people property?

We have laws in place that will remove a child from the care of an abusive mother. Isn’t this antithetical to the reasoning of abortion? Women should be able to do whatever they want with their “property,” right? Wrong. No one should have the right to inflict upon the life of another person, whether they were instrumental in bringing about that child’s existence. Bush’s policy might be killing thousands of people in Iraq, but at least he’s taking a stand against U.S. citizens stripping their own children of the right to live.

By Cassie Cleary

Sophomore in LAS

Former Illini Media employee

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