4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 21, 1994
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420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
JOSH DUBOW
Editor in Chief
ANDREW LEVY
Editorial Page Editor
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Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Daily editorial board.
All other cartoons, articles and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
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Abortion issue
requires dialogue
To the Daily:
Saturday the 22nd of January will
mark the 21st anniversary of Roe v.
Wade. These long years have
brought us anger, frustration; so
many powerful emotions and actions
that have lately turned to violence.
Those of us who were born after the
decision to legalize abortion do not
know what it was like to live in the
times when abortion was something
secret and dangerous. We live in a
time when women can get an
abortion for practically any reason,
be it mental or psychological health.
We live in a time of turmoil, of
confusion, of "political correctness"
- where what you believe in can be
accepted only if it is the proper
opinion.
The issue of abortion has
degenerated into one of politics.
Twenty-one years have passed since
Roe v. Wade and it seems that people
are no more educated about the
procedures, the inherent dangers and
the mental and emotional side effects
than they used to be. We have sunk
into the quagmire of fear and anger.
Our eyes are blinded by "women's
issues" and other catchy terms.
What about ethics? Abortion is
not a religious issue. Forget about
feminism. Think logically. Educate
yourself. I challenge you to an open
forum. Write back. Don't just read
this appeal and throw it in the
recycling bin. Apathy is what is
killing this nation. Democracy is the
most powerful political system ever
created, but freedom comes with
responsibility - a responsibility to
yourself and society to become
informed with facts - not opinions,
not cooked statistics.
What does it mean to stand up for
the "right" to have an abortion? What
does it take to fight for the unborn?
What is it that motivates and drives a
person in such a cause? Do not be
afraid to admit to yourself that you
are scared that one day you will need
the option of an abortion, that you
want that choice. But don't turn away
from pictures of aborted fetuses that
look like babies whose skin have
been burned away or who have been
torn from limb to limb. If you make a
decision accept its ramifications.
Likewise if you defend the rights
of the "unborn," be prepared to
accept single mothers. More than
that, be prepared to support single
mothers. Learn to understand the
concerns and fears of women whose
lives are forever changed by the
selfless act of giving life. It is the
cruelest torture to place a woman in a
position of such a "choice." On the
one hand she can "erase" all the
mistakes and make everything better
- all with just one "simple" and
traumatizing procedure. On the other
hand if she chooses the future of her
baby she seems to be giving up her
own. What's wrong with this
picture? A woman has no choice.
Abortion pits women against their
own children as competitors for the
favors of the patriarchy.
It is ignorance that is killing our
future. Do not turn away. Face the
issue, not the politics and rhetoric.
Face up to your responsibility as a
human being. Think!
JUSTYNA CZARNECKI
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In this politically correct society,
we have become so accustomed to
playing words for their effect, that it
is commonplace and passes
unnoticed. Euphemisms like
"reproduction rights" or "termination
of pregnancy" are the current vogue
to describe abortion. How nice and
pretty. How in keeping with modern
man's need to overlook reality and
the essence of the thing - the need
to ignore the consequences and
responsibilities of our actions.
No matter how you dress up
salmon, it is still a fish. No matter
how you choose to label abortion, it
is still murder - the violent
extinction of an innocent and
defenseless life.
The pagans of centuries past -
brutal and vicious in their sacrifices
- were at least honest when they
killed children for their odious
"gods." They valued life enough to
make it the ultimate "gift" of their
religion. They realized they were
sacrificing that gift to Baal and Isis.
Modern man - outwardly
"cultured" and "civilized" - is
inherently dishonest. After all, it's an
ugly thought to realize that you are
willing to literally rip a defenseless
baby limb from limb just to offer
sacrifice to your favorite god of the
moment - Pleasure, Selfishness or
Convenience. Instead of facing the
reality of the issue, we try to find
refuge from truth behind lofty
sounding phrases and words.
But don't let this slight detour
into the realm of truth hinder your
efforts for "reproductive rights" Rev.
Bushdiecker. Feel confident about
your need to defend the murder of 1
million innocents annually. After all,
you have a "distinguished"
forerunner in the first major political
figure of the 20th Century who
strongly advocated the necessity of
state-funded abortions. As for
myself, I prefer to avoid any
associations with Adolf Hitler.
JOHN SCHAUBLE
LSA sophomore
Kevorkian could teach
outgoing seniors
To the Daily:
I get a mild laugh out of reading
about Dennis Denno's attempts to
bring Jack Kevorkian in as a
commencement speaker. Sure, there
are the tongue-in-cheek connotations
(just so long as CO gas doesn't
suffocate the seniors, if there is no
police involvement, etc.)
On a more serious note, Dr.
Kevorkian would have something to
offer the outgoing seniors. His
actions, due to their dubious legal
nature, are not acceptable to
everyone. But, what commencement
speaker's actions ever are? I think
that the critical issue is one of
character, which he does a good job
of displaying. Character, as a
measure, is how well someone sticks
to his or her own code of ethics.
Kevorkian has done that, has had the
courage to do what he feels is right,
whether or not others agreed with
him.
Kevorkian could give to this
campus what is seriously lacking -
the impetus to be inner-directed; to
do what is right even if it is not the
Women still don't report many
rapes for various reasons, so the one-
in-three figure is far more accurate
than one-in-eight. Buried deep in the
hearts and minds of many a woman
are memories of a rape, sometimes
long forgotten, sometimes long
remembered. Crimes that never were
reported, but nevertheless make the
higher numbers of rape no less real ir
a woman's mind. Sometimes she is
able to get on with her life with few
scars. Sometimes she is permanently
and emotionally damaged.
I speak from experience. I was
raped once by a former boyfriend
(never mind that multiple rapes in a
bad, past marriage) and my adult
daughter was raped twice: once as a
four-year-old by a neighborhood boy
and once as a teenager, a date rape b
an "upstanding," aspiring young
minister. My teen daughter was also
raped twice - once at the age of 13
by a young adult acquaintance (it was
reported and he was arrested, but
prosecutors put it on hold), and again
at the age of 15 by a stranger who
dragged her to the bushes (her faith
in the system destroyed, she refused
to report it). Both occurred between
and 12 in the morning. So it's three-
in-three for us ... for now (or more
accurately, five-in-three).
Only through efforts by
organizations like SAPAC are
women getting the courage and
strength to report and emotionally
survive rapes. Those who can't do
gain some strength from the
knowledge that people are working
to educate and provide support. We"
will never know the true figures on
rape, but rest assured, they are far
higher than what we do know now.
SHALANE SHELEY
Ann Arbor
Religion can't stop
spread of AIDS"
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to the
letter that was printed in the Daily on
Dec. 2 concerning AIDS. This letter
was printed less than 24 hours after
National AIDS Awareness Day had
ended. The purpose of this national
event was to educate and inform
people on how to prevent AIDS. You
are still at risk of contracting the HIV
virus regardless if whether or not you
believe in Jesus. Religious
preferences and preaching that
Americans must "beware of Satan
and Hell" has nothing to do with
whether or not you will contract
AIDS.
It seems that along with the
religious views that are being
imposed here, there also comes a
lack of understanding as to the
significance and reality of AIDS.
Ignorance in this sense can be very
dangerous. As it is said over and
over, AIDS does not discriminate.
Whether you "believe in Jesus" or
not, AIDS is still a fact of life that
every single person should be aware
of.
It has been medically proven that
there are specific methods (regarding
sexual practices, intravenous needle
usage, etc.) to prevent AIDS. These
means of prevention that have been
stated over and over by doctors are
the only ways to prevent AIDS.
AIDS rnnnt h enmhted h hlief
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