To the Editor:
Twice in the last week, The Daily Pennsylvanian has implied a nonexistent association between the Penn American Civil Liberties Union and Penn for Life's Respect Life Week. The DP has grossly misrepresented the positions of the Penn ACLU, and therefore needs clarification.
In an April 6 article, "Penn for Life, ACLU Join Together on Death Penalty" focused on a Penn for Life event featuring Feminist for Life Vice President Sally Winn and on the connection that Penn for Life President Nina Mirarchi makes between the death penalty and abortion as part of a "culture of life." The DP included no input from the Penn ACLU, which would have indicated that some Penn ACLU members were there in opposition to the speaker.
The DP also did not reference the one event on which Penn for Life and the ACLU did collaborate, a rally against the death penalty. The rally, sponsored entirely by the ACLU as part of our Rights Week, featured tables occupied by several organizations, one of which was Penn for Life. In fact, aside from the headline, the article itself never even mentioned the Penn ACLU.
An April 13 article "Anti-Abortion Speech Contributes to Debate" names the Penn ACLU as a co-organizer of several of Penn for Life's "Respect Life Week" events. The Penn ACLU had nothing to do with these events and actually stands in opposition to most of them.
Unlike Penn for Life, we do not believe that the death penalty and abortion are related issues, but are separate and distinct. Penn ACLU, like the national ACLU, is pro-choice and fights to defend a woman's right to choose. Individuals should have access to a full range of reproductive services, including contraception and comprehensive sex education, which extend far beyond abortion. We believe that what you do to your body is a matter of privacy, not subject to review by the government.
Michael Patterson
College '05
President of Penn ACLU
Dan Treglia
College '05
