To the Editor:

On this page last Friday (“Anti-abortionists deny women sexual independence” 10/19), Matthew Lee improperly conflated the pro-life position with the critique of contraception. This common misconception is perhaps a function of the fact that the Roman Catholic Church, which is critical of both, is a major stimulus of the pro-life movement.

But the Roman Catholic Church criticizes abortion and contraception for different reasons; it does not assert that contraception is murder. Principled pro-lifers, then, will value contraception to the extent that it really limits the percentage of pregnancies that are aborted.

Peter Johnston

Oct. 21

Johnston is a junior in Saybrook College and a staff columnist for the News.