Abortion not an example of hate-driven behavior

Editor,

I am writing in response to the letter from Benjamin Sanchez in Monday's Daily Lobo about the failure of the U.S. to realize Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream. I was impressed with his supporting arguments, showing contemporary examples of dehumanization due to attributes and characteristics of a group. I agreed with him that humans in general have not reached that honorable level of accepting people and not denying them their rights. However, I was shocked when I came to the main argument, mainly because it did not follow logic.

Sanchez stated, "The true cause (of dehumanization) is malice in the eyes and heart of the beholder." This is true; however, he went on to say abortion is the effect of dehumanization, and is therefore malice. This statement does not hold up when it comes to abortion. It is very rare, if ever, that a woman chooses to have an abortion because she has a hatred for the unborn child. Abortion is a choice made by a woman after weighing the consequences. It is a rational decision with emotional consequences that, nevertheless, is based on facts, such as the possibility of supporting a child, the emotional and physical stress on the woman during the pregnancy, medical risks and so on. To say abortion is the effect of hatred is not a logical argument.

It is also not logical to say abortions are a denial of the inalienable rights "written in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence." These inalienable rights apply only to citizens of the U.S. As stated in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States ... are citizens of the United States." It is only logical to assume a fetus is not a citizen of the U.S. until it has either been born or naturalized.

If one argued that the fetus was a citizen because the mother was a citizen, one would have to acknowledge that the rights of citizenship are coming directly from the citizenship of the mother. It is logical to assume the mother's rights as a citizen would supersede or equal those of the fetus. Therefore, abortion is not a denial of rights according to the Constitution, but the prohibition of abortion would be a denial of a citizen's rights, instead.

There are many horrible problems in the world, including wars, crimes and violence based on characteristics that allow certain groups to dehumanize others. I also agree with Sanchez in that King's vision of a world where people are all treated as equal human beings has not come close to being accomplished. However, abortion does not logically follow as an example of dehumanization.

Kelly Seibert

UNM student