Editor,
The look on my 2-year-old son's face when he sees a baby on TV or out in the world is really something to behold, as he delightedly points and yells "Baby!" Monday he and I were rolling around campus as usual. We got breadsticks at the Pizza Hut stand, then came out under Ortega Hall, heading for the library.
I know I didn't get the stroller turned in time to prevent him from getting a good look at that 12-foot-high, incredibly graphic photo of the mangled fetus. We went back around Ortega, took a different route to the library, him silent the whole way, me unable to think of a single thing to say.
You know, I too believe very strongly in my right to free expression, but I know too that exercising that right ought to involve some consideration of potential damages I might cause.
You with the display, with the particular presentation option you chose, took something from a lovely little boy today, hopefully for just a few moments but probably for more than that.
We certainly have no illusions of sheltering him from such images or issues forever, but we do feel that there are appropriate ways and times in his life cycle for confronting the more disgusting things life throws up. Today, you may have forced our hand. We may have to figure out a way to tell him about people like you much earlier in his life than we had hoped.
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You make me sick.
Russell Cole
UNM Staff
