Gloucester Daily Times Debate on Abortion (12), December 19, 1985

Abortion Means Killing a Person

Sandy Parsons’ letter of Dec. 3, 1985, in the Times, points out one of the biggest problems in the ongoing debate over abortion — that of the underlying motives of the pro-life and pro-choice movements. The pro-choice people assume that the real, unstated motive of pro-lifers is to deprive women of hard-fought (and deserved) gains they have made in society over the past two decades. In fact, that is not a motive of the pro-life movement at all. The only motive of pro-life activists is one of basic human rights, i.e., to stop the murder of helpless, defenseless people. It is a constant source of amazement to me that the pro-choice advocates cloak their support of abortion with lofty-sounding rhetoric about “women’s rights,” “control of women’s reproductive systems,” and “the right of women to control their own bodies,” while completely ignoring the fact that the practice of abortion kills a person. Why do pro-choice people refuse to confront this issue (all the while talking about a person’s “rights”), unless they know in their hearts that their advocacy of this practice is wrong? Why do pro-choice advocates gloss over the emotional trauma suffered by so many women who have undergone this :medical procedure unique to women to women?” Ms. Parsons’s statement that “we all know that abortion must remain a legal alternative for unwanted pregnancy,” in addition to being false, merely continues the deception practiced by the pro-choice movement that no one is hurt by this “medical procedure.” This kind of muddy thinking is precisely why people like Ms. Parsons are :still not clear as to why groups of this kind are so wildly against legalized abortion.” Perhaps if they faced the issue squarely, and honestly, they would see that the real issue here is not that of women’s rights exclusively, but that of the most basic of all human rights, the right of life, for people of both sexes.

Mel Russell, 8 Shehan Terrace, Rockport