I was utterly disgusted and dismayed at the logic that Alex Dunkel’s “Abortion revisited” column (Nov. 12) followed. The argument was that the country can control the state of its economy through the control of “unwanted pregnancies,” thus limiting the possibility of those who will be born into a substandard life of welfare, crime, etc. and creating a burden on society. Unfortunately, this sort of logic would justify Hitler’s pursuits, having the underlying premise that certain groups of people are inferior and their offspring will be as well.

How often we forget in this country that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” as it is said in our Declaration of Independence. When does a child’s right to life become questionable or “unwanted”? When is a child created unequal or inferior? Mr. Dunkel’s column seems to say: poor financial and/or social status. Of course, poverty may be an eyesore, but remember that, for most of us, our ancestors did not come to this country with riches. And by looking around, I can see that poverty is not hereditary; therefore, there is no space for the justification of abortion here.

Siyin Li

freshman in engineering