To the Editor:
Re: “Racist Propaganda Hurts All Women,” Opinion, March 2
It is unfortunate (and deeply ironic) that a column that rails against “racist propaganda” repeatedly indulges in a little propaganda of her own. The movement against abortion is driven not by “anti-choice extremists,” as the author would have it, but anti-abortion activists. The “anti-choice” moniker is a favorite smear tactic of the “pro-choice” side of the fight. It makes an effective red herring: Who would argue that women shouldn’t have choices in their lives? However, it’s an inaccurate descriptor: Those who oppose abortion do so not because they harbor some secret desire to subjugate womankind, but because they truly believe that an abortion ends a human life. “Pro-life,” or if that’s too biased, “anti-abortion,” clearly describes the concept that is the main impetus behind the pro-life movement.
You can debate the belief that abortion ends life, you can utterly disagree with that position, but at least do so honorably. “Anti-choice” is dishonest propaganda, and the author does no credit to herself or her cause by using it in any context. To weave it though the text of an article denouncing other alleged propaganda, however, severely undercuts any arguments that she was trying to make.
Matt Connolly ’99