Gloucester Daily Times Debate on Abortion (42), March 24, 1986

“Where’s the Baby” is Not Cute

Out of all the so-called pro-life position papers I’ve read on the editorial page lately, I find Tom Griffith’s March 18 letter on the abortion issue to be the most appalling to date.

His attempt at “cute” and “catchy” fails miserably under the seriousness of the issue at hand.

On the other hand, his demeaning use of the “cute” and “catchy” commercial slogan, “Where’s the beef” (which is so callously altered to read “Where’s the baby?”) very effectively trivializes a most crucial issue and just as effectively demonstrated how far removed from the seriousness of the real life issue of abortion some people are.

Mr. Griffith is, however, quite successful in clearly expressing his absolutist position when he suggests that we merely discard such constitutional issues as women’s rights, freedom of choice, separation of church and state and the rights of the poor to adopt his personal belief as the supreme law of the land.

It may surprise Mr. Griffith to hear this, but, all do not share his opinion of when life begins. When our scientists, educators and religious leaders cannot agree on the issue, then the freedom of personal belief and the freedom of personal choices, based on that belief, must rise above the chaos.

The real issue here is neither cute nor trivial. Neither right nor wrong. Neither Protestant, not Catholic, nor Jewish. The real issue is who decides? The individual involved, or the government?

Otherwise, we open the door to a police state, where the only violators, and therefore the only criminals, will be women.

Karen Morey, 96 Western Ave.