The Battalion PINION Friday, August 3,1990 Opinion Page Editor Damon Arhos Th< D. V. Ahluwalia Reader’s Opinion Abortion spells rejection in our weak society Often on the Opinion Page, I read opinions for and against pro-choicers. Those who consider themselves against pro-choicers call themselves pro-lifers. It is my opinion that this distinction is a little insensitive and insulting to those who may hold the pro-choice position. The reason I feel this way is because the “pro-choice” position refers to the options our culture and society offers to a pregnant woman, married or unmarried. For the moment, let’s conFme our attention to the campus and the unmarried sector. What options do we, as a society, as a culture and as a student body, offer to a woman considering abortion? The options often translate into the humiliation, and possibly the rejection and pain, of asking your parents for the money to have an abortion, or of having a cheap assembly line abortion without anesthesia. The option also includes discontinuation of one’s studies, and the .resulting annihilation of one’s independence and career. Falling back on the food stamps and the rest may also be an option. The choices of a woman considering abortion on the campus are defined by these options. Unless, as a society, we are more sensitive and provide appropriate financial and emotional support (lasting an extended period of time), it is absurd to attack the pro- choice position. The work for the pro-lifers is clear cut. They must create the transformation needed to make the “pro-life” option feasible for a pregnant woman. And to accomplish this task, I think they can join hands with pro-choicers in peace. The pro-choicer is not against pro life. When and if a pro-choicer opts for abortion, it must be explicitly understood that she has no life- enhancing options. Abortion is not a pleasant “nirvanic” experience. It is not one’s unambiguous choice lacking deeply-felt, unspoken conflicts and anguish. Instead of considering the off- campus situation, where the pro-choice situation must once again be viewed in reference to the existing socio-cultural and economic situation, let’s look at the possible social effects. What image of society does a woman who goes through an assembly-line abortion carry in her heart? What disappointment and heartache must she go through? What fills her dreams, and what happens to her spiritual well being? One can only imagine. But we can do something beyond just imagining. We can be a little more sensitive, a little more responsible. We can show a certain understanding of the complexity of the abortion issue. We can refrain from making a mockery of abortion by insisting on the pro- choice or pro-life boundary when we favor, or disfavor, a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, or some similar political convenience. D.V. Ahluwalia is a graduate student in physics. As with all columns, viewpoints expressed in Reader’s Opinions are not necessarily those of The Battalion. Persons interested in submitting a Reader’s Opinion should contact the Opinion Page Editor, Damon Arhos, at 845-3314. Life after honeymoon may not be worth effort Columnist takes look at marriage after seeing film ‘War of the Roses’ h All is fair in love and war. I would just as soon stay away from both. I recently saw the film “War of the Roses” starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Furrier and Danny DeVito. If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It’s pretty scary thinking about marriage, especially when school is at the top of the priority list. Within the last two weeks, I’ve attended two weddings for old high school friends. I sat and thought about the marriage institution as I heard vows being exchanged. It occurred to me that when you get married you are legally bound by a contract. I wondered if my friends knew what they were getting into? I can’t imagine living the rest of my life with the same person, much less living the rest of my life by myself. But, nonetheless, couples around the world get married everyday. Some weddings are called a “convenience” while others simply happen because two people are in love. It is shocking to think that two people can actually give up so much of their lives for each other. I’ve never had to give up so much for someone. Then comes the question of divorce. Luckily, my parents are still married, so I wouldn’t know much about it. It intrigues me that the same two people that promised their love to one another are now fighting to get away from each other. Why did they get married in the first place? They could have saved themselves and their family a lot of trouble had they not gotten married. I suppose things happen. But, sometimes divorces are really messy. Usually a child is stuck in the middle, and they are the ones that suffer the consequences. This is what I’m trying get at: Is it worth going through all the trouble of getting married and spending all that time and money for a battle in court? I think people need to give it more thought when they get married, and more consideration before getting a divorce. Statistics show that one of t»| marriages ends in divorce. What a shame. There are people out there who til believe that it is worth it, especiallyif they are the wives that end up withtf houses, cars and kids. I’ve neverheail of the husband asking for alimony.! invol in g G tankt I show Oi [other ! ral fi I cause hour: Sta tank dents | repoi In spille ! 852,3 2.48 while In b wonder why? Is it because societyte the man can be self-supportive and woman has the right to take hismone in the divorce? Give me a break! In some states, though, womenha to pay alimony and child support if are the main contributor of incomelo the family. That’s the way it shouldk A relationship between two people both ways. 1 suppose we all learn from our mistakes, and that’s what makes us _ better people. I do believe in marriajff and divorce, I just have to question iff institution itself. If two people arere* for marriage, they should commit themselves to each other and to the relationship. Why do we need a piece paper stating the legality of a relationship? It’s useless nowadays.k live together and enjoy each other’s company. Marriage and divorce are a big step and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Yet, people go about it daily. My favorite/; from the movie “W'ar of the Roses" ic one that Danny DeVito said concerm; divorce. “There’s no such thingas winning,” he said, “just degrees of : losing.” Ain’t that the truth! Rudy Cordova Jr. is a senior theatr arts major. fr BR< and ot millioi leged 1 lieved ton of U.S.,c The torney Wedn< lez, all drug t Gor Matarr tembe ons ch Am reside! Drug said U lez has traffic! teleph Mail Richards protects individual rights EDITOR: Hats off to Ann Richards on her stand for individuals. A person’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with the pastors’ attempt to push their religion on others. I sincerely hope that Ann Richards wins by a landslide. Williams with his holy attitude would be dangerous to the individual rights of others. There ap pears to always be a group or groups of individuals in the United States that enjoy hurting others; the pastors seem to be the ones. Vote for Ann Richards! Charles R. Greene ’57 NEA doesn’t deserve restrictions EDITOR: One detail omitted from Robin Redfield’s “Reader’s Opinion” (The Bat talion, July 24), was that all the projects Redfield listed received a total of less than .0004 percent of the NEA budget (even with the figures Redfield cited, one of which, I believe, was inflated by 50 percent). Apparently Redfield would trash the thousands of outstanding, uncontroversial NEA-funded pro jects in order to get tough, with these two or three, one of which has recently been discovered to have received no NEA funding at all. Here’s an excerpt from conservative David Geren’s editorial in the latest issue of U.S. News & World Report: “The NEA has played a highly constructive role in the past quarter-cen tury, and it deserves to be fully funded for the next five years. Its thousands of grants, all but a handful above controversy, have helped us spawn a flow ering of the arts across the country. ... In its laudable desire to maintain stan dards of decency, Congress should leave in place its current rules against Call — funding obscene works but should avoid imposing new restrictions that would handcuf f the NEA (The NEA) knows where to draw the line.” Larry Jackson KAMU staff Article ‘most confusing’ EDITOR: The article “Lt. Gov. Hobby calls Williams ‘buffoon’” (The Battalion, July 12) was most confusing. The title of the article belies its content. In fact, according to the narrative, Hobby did not call Williams a buffoon, but re ported what Williams had said about himself, “Her opponent is a self-pro- claimed buffoon.” A buffoon, according to the Webster’s, is a ludicrous figure — a clown, Its second meaning is a gross, ill-educated, stupid person. Readers need to know under which conditions did (if indeed he did) style himself as a buffoon? Lt. Gov. Hobby shows himself to be the buffoon in its second meaning by not pro viding the context of the remark. Tom Ahern Graduate student by twe a f poi i Vie ina was s J See erl) ing pro Have an opinion? Express it! Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit lettw for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. 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