Alicia Ebaugh got it wrong in her Nov. 17 column. She tries to frame the abortion debate as a fight between men and women. In reality, support for abortion rights among women is not nearly as monolithic as Ms. Ebaugh claims.

The Partial Birth Abortion Ban passed the Senate with the support of four female congresswomen, and public support for the ban was even greater. An ABC News poll from July of this year indicates that 68 percent of women want partial birth abortion to be illegal, compared with only 56 percent of men. In fact, a Gallup poll from May 2003 shows that 51 percent of women want abortion to be illegal except in the case of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is a risk.

It should come as no surprise that women oppose abortion more than men, considering that a disproportionate number of abortions are performed on female fetuses. This is most evident in China where 119 boys are born for every 100 girls. How could a society so male-dominated possibly be good for women?

So-called feminist groups, such as the National Organization for Women, do not speak for most women. They have departed from their foremothers: Susan B. Anthony called abortion “child murder.” Elizabeth Cady Stanton called it “infanticide.” Alice Paul, author of the Equal Rights Amendment, once said, “Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.”

Abortion treats the unborn child as property. It’s no small step from there to treat women as property.

Nicole Asmussen

Junior

Political Science