The Oct. 31 editorial, “Abortion issues muster cheap votes,” was intensely disappointing. As the article stated, there are Americans dying in the Mideast, and we should not forget them when deciding on our votes. However, far more Americans are dying in America.

There are over 1.2 million surgical abortions annually in the United States. These are always performed at least six weeks after conception: after brain waves, after movement (though it is not yet felt by the mother), after hands and feet and a beating four-chambered heart have formed. The most commonly aborted fetuses are ten to twelve weeks, at which point they have developed fingernails, thumb-sucking and hiccups.

With regard to the Senate race: Harkin claims, as he did in his last campaign, that he opposes partial-birth abortion. His voting record says otherwise. In 1995, 1997 and 1999, Harkin voted against banning partial-birth abortion. The 1999 bill even included a provision for the mother’s health, which is unnecessary because live delivery is safer for the mother than the partial-birth abortion procedure, and the fetus is capable of surviving outside the mother at the point that the procedure is performed (24 to 42 weeks).

The health clause also seriously weakens the bill, because any doctor could claim that the mother’s psychological health is better served by abortion, even though the partial-birth abortion procedure is more of a risk to her life than the live birth of her child. The health provision was enough for liberal senators Daschle and Leahy to support the 1999 bill, yet Harkin still voted against it. At least six thousand children in America have fallen victim to this procedure since Harkin’s last vote to keep it legal. I do not see how this can be rated less important than Iraq, tuition hikes, or budget cuts.

It is sad that candidates will get votes based solely on their commitment to ending the horror of abortion. However, the answer to this problem is not to call abortion unimportant. Rather, we must show candidates of all parties how important abortion truly is.

Pro-life Democrats are currently up for election in Minnesota, Tennessee, Alabama, Maine and New Mexico. About 50 percent of Libertarian candidates are pro-life, and several other parties (such as the Constitution Party) have pro-life platforms. Lists of pro-life candidates can be found at sites such as http://www.WeVoteProLife.com.

I look forward to a time when pro-life voters will commonly have more options. Until then, I cannot in good conscience support a candidate who refuses to defend the most vulnerable lives in our nation.

Kristen McCord

Graduate Student

Plant Breeding