Supporting abortion rights not same as being pro-abortion

Editor,

I am writing in response to Benjamin Sanchez's letter on Friday about Barack Obama, in which he suggested the senator's position on abortion is "not clear or consistent." The heart of Sanchez's argument relies on the flawed assumption that "pro-choice" is the same as being "pro-abortion."

Sen. Obama supports abortion rights, while at the same time saying abortion is a tragedy and he would like to reduce the number of abortions. Sanchez thinks this is inconsistent only because he seems to believe that supporting abortion rights means you think abortions are great things and want as many of them to happen as possible. This is no more true than saying supporting the right to bear arms means you think killing people with guns is a good idea.

Supporting abortion rights means you believe individuals, not the government, have the legal right to make this decision for themselves and their families. After the birth of my daughter, my husband and I both changed our personal views of abortion. If faced with an unplanned pregnancy now, we would not consider abortion. This doesn't mean my position regarding Roe v. Wade has changed. I still support the right of women to make their own personal choice about abortion for themselves. I don't believe I, as an individual citizen, have the right to force my personal view on others.

The only way to reduce abortion is to attack the real problem: unwanted pregnancies. Outlawing abortion would not suddenly stop all abortions any more than prohibition stopped the use of alcohol. People who genuinely want to reduce the number of abortions in America should support sex education, affordable health care and ready availability of contraception. These things would do a great deal more to reduce the number of abortions than making abortion illegal again.

Debra Pappler

UNM student