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Responding to Dan Harders’ editorial “Crosses Portray Murder,” proclaiming that abortion is murder is a purely irrational and misleading statement, but more on that later. First of all, I’m sure that the Collegian realized that to give more explanation to the picture of the crosses in the April 19th issue would compromise their journalistic integrity. They already pushed the envelope by allowing the Human Life Alliance to insert their 12 page, color piece of pro-life propaganda into the March 22nd edition of the Collegian. That being said, I will continue to make the most reasonable argument I can think of for the legality of abortions: outlawing abortion will not and does not eliminate abortions. For example, in 1996 in the Netherlands (a very liberal country) where abortion is legal, there were about 6.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 while in Nigeria where abortion is illegal there were 25.4 per 1,000 women, nearly four times the rate of the Netherlands (http://www.agiusa.org/pubs/ journals/25s3099.html). Additionally, abortions performed illegally and outside of hospitals and clinics can and do pose serious health risks to the woman. Nobody likes abortion, that is clear, but the only way to reduce abortions or eliminate abortion is through economic well being, education and equality. That is why the Netherlands have a more favorable rate than Nigeria. Unfortunately for the Right, simply changing the laws will not solve this problem. Abortion is not a black and white issue.

Derek MeyersPolitical Science and English