Editor,
As a graduate of UNM, I often like to revisit the opinion pages of the Daily Lobo Web site to get a sense of the politics on campus. I did so today, and the irony of the running discussion is inescapable.
The prevailing topic in a string of letters to the editor is abortion, closely seconded by Sen. Barack Obama's "scary ties" to the Middle East. Taken together, these are compelling arguments for a conservative in favor of Sen. John McCain. An anti-abortion Muslim - yikes! Isn't it strange, then, that Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, all of which are revolving members of the axis of evil, share a fervent penchant for anti-abortion law with America's evangelists?
Religious fundamentalism is religious fundamentalism anywhere in the world. Snide commentary aside, however, the real problem here is single-issue voting. Let's take abortion rights for example. Say you vote for a candidate because you agree on this important issue. Your candidate is elected, and you get what you want: Abortions are outlawed. It seems you have succeeded. What, though, have you neglected to consider in your deliberations? Have you thought about what else comes with the no-abortion-at-all-costs package? You can't get an abortion, but you can't get a job either because your candidate has extended the failed economic policies of previous administrations. No fetus is destroyed, but the environment is because it was never unprotected and polluters were never undeterred. No tax dollars are spent on sex education or contraceptives, but there's no money for school or textbooks either because $3 billion a week on war and tax cuts for the richest 1 percent of our country left every student behind. Every baby has a chance at life, but thousands of American men, women, mothers and fathers continue to die in wars of aggression perpetrated by the president your candidate supported.
Do these scenarios reflect your true values? Sure, abortion is a difficult issue. It is philosophical, emotional and spiritual in nature. I ask you, though, is legislating your opinion of abortion worth the concessions that might accompany those laws? Is your belief so fundamental that you are willing to compromise all, or any, other important aspects of your life? If so, I encourage you to take stock of the company you share. Religious fundamentalism is religious fundamentalism anywhere in the world.
Zac Westbrook
UNM alumnus
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