LETTER: Different Choices

To the Editor: They describe an abortion as a " . . . fundamental right . . . " Well I don't know if they've read the Declaration of Independence lately, but it guarentees "certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness . . . " As the first right mentioned in this document, it should be our most protected; but what has happened is that people have traded their pleasure for others' rights, more specifically their children's rights. I was also greatly impressed by the statistics that the two ladies used in reference to the Roe v. Wade decision. They talk about the thousands of lives that abortion has saved; well, what about the millions that it has ended. They say "an estimated 200,000 women worldwide die annually from illegal abortions -- one woman every three minutes." Here is a statistic that they missed. Every year in the U.S. alone, 1,000,000 babies die from legal abortions -- one child every 31 seconds. Their only crime, being "unwanted." That's 19,000,000 children, not unwanted flesh or a group of cells or a biological byproduct, a human being. Since this year the Penn freshman class was, for the most part, born in 1973, that's 1,000,000 possible classmates, possible roommates, or possible friends that we will never have because they were "unwanted." I do, however, agree on a few points: we should have better methods of contraception (not birth control), there should be increased sexual health education, better family planning and better day care service to encourage woman to keep there children. But the solution to unwanted pregnancy does not lie after the child is conceived, but before. Although there are methods of contraception which are very effective, there is only one which is completely effective, abstinence. If one cannot accept the results of his or her actions then one shouldn't engage in those actions. If one cannot accept a baby, the result and purpose of sexual intercourse, then he or she should keep his pants buttoned or her legs closed. ANDREW PAPPANIA College '94