Wednesday’s profile of the life of Sargent Shriver (“Shriver dead at 95,” Jan. 19) did an admirable job of covering the many facets of an extraordinary man, from his time at the News itself to his role in fostering social programs like the Peace Corps. But one crucial component of Shriver’s political activity was left out — his unwavering opposition to abortion. The last pro-life individual to ever appear on a national Democratic ticket, Shriver knew that compassion for the poor and the oppressed meant defending the most helpless humans of all, the unborn. So in an age when over 90 percent of fetuses diagnosed with Down Syndrome are destroyed, we should remember the full breadth of Shriver’s vision of public service. As the Shrivers did with the Special Olympics, let us improve the lives of the disabled rather than terminate them.

Matthew Gerken

Jan. 19

The writer is a senior in Morse College.