To the Editor:

In his response to my article, Matthew Lee made the claim that the “nature of fetal existence … is irrelevant to the political debate over legalized abortion.” In other words, that whether a given act involves the killing of a human being has no bearing on its legality.

In defense of this rather outlandish position, Lee tries to make it seem as though legalizing abortion actually decreases the number of abortions. Not only does this defy common sense, but it also runs contrary to the results of the very study he cites. The study indicates that in developed countries where abortion is more often legal, 28 percent of pregnancies end in abortion. On the other hand, in developing countries where abortion is more restricted, only 19 percent of pregnancies end in abortion.

Lee claims that “abortion bans themselves do little to prevent women from performing abortions.” The history of abortion in the United States says otherwise. According to Planned Parenthood, the number of abortions doubled in the seven years following Roe v. Wade.

To say that the pro-life movement “cares far more about perpetuating the oppression of women than about respecting the sanctity of life” is either dishonest or misinformed. Pro-life pregnancy centers across the country provide a place of comfort and counsel for pregnant women. If Lee disagrees with the pro-life position, the least he could do would be to refrain from cynical assumptions and to allow that what motivates pro-life advocates is what they actually profess to be their motivation — namely, the defense of the most oppressed, most victimized people in our nation.

Bryce Taylor

Oct. 21

Taylor is a freshman in Silliman College.