While I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, to have a man (someone who will never have to make a decision on abortion) write an anti-choice “opinions” article to condemn the Roe v. Wade 32nd Anniversary, and then not have any article presenting the pro-choice point of view seems an extreme oversight on your part. Though the three-line caption under the picture mentions the pro-choice show, Rockin’ Roe, put on at Caffe Paradiso, you neglect to mention the weekend’s other events. The National Organization for Women student chapter worked with over a dozen pro-choice co-sponsors to put together five events on Friday and Saturday. Over 200 people attended these events, and they put their money behind their beliefs, raising over $1,000 for NOW and the Planned Parenthood Abortion Fund.

Dvorin calls abortion “senseless murder,” when that is the exact opposite of what abortion is. Abortion is not the first step any woman takes when she finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy. It is a choice one comes to after much thought about what is best for them financially, physically and mentally. Even if an individual believes that abortion is the option they wish to take, they go through counseling to determine whether or not that is really what is best for them. Planned Parenthood will turn someone away who is not sure about having an abortion.

When abortion was illegal, thousands of women died every year in botched, illegal procedures. Since Roe v. Wade, millions of women’s lives have been saved, simply by allowing them access to safe and legal abortions. Making abortion illegal will put these women’s lives at risk again.

Every child has the right to be wanted and loved, and therefore a woman should be able to make her own decision on whether or not she will be a good mother now, or if she should wait to have children till a more stable point in the future. Since when does a personal moral issue – a woman’s choice whether or not to have an abortion – have a right to be withheld by the U.S. government? Whatever happened to separation of church and state?

I would also like to mention the contradiction of an administration that does not believe in abortion but also does not believe in any sort of comprehensive sexual education, which means no birth control to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. It is the 21st century, and we have the technology available to us today to allow people to enjoy consensual sex without the fear of pregnancy or disease. The administration’s choice to deny this information to consumers, especially teenagers, is a very misguided one.

The DI’s choice to make “Students Consider Book Options” front-page news as opposed to the huge pro-choice population of Champaign-Urbana is one that you should strongly reconsider in the future.

Lea Marcou

President, National Organization for Women at UIUC

senior in LAS