Suzan Cox’s recent letter on abortion shows the superficial acquaintance many people have with prenatal development. It is widely believed that fetuses are just unformed blobs of cells. This is not the case – though many people wish it were. To quote Emeka Anyanwu’s recent editorial, “Reality is kind of stubborn like that.”

At 40 days, the developing child has eyes, arms, legs, hands, a heartbeat (the heart has been beating for over three weeks) and a brain, from whence brain waves are detectable. Suzan Cox’s contention that “in reality scraping your finger may kill more cells” is quite obviously untrue. Regardless of whether abortion is legally classified as murder, it is still homicide – the destruction of a thinking human being.

Ms. Cox also misperceives the pro-life movement, referring to the legislation we advocate as “patriarchal.” The work of organizations such as Feminists for Life (FFL), Libertarians for Life, Pro-life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians and Atheists for Life is anything but patriarchal. In the words of FFL’s Dr. Maureen Jones-Ryan, “As feminists, we must not continue to buy into the historically male world view: [that] the solution to sociological problems is convenient violence.” Slavery is convenient; oppression of women is convenient; abortion is convenient. But the violence they involve is unacceptable, and if we are to advance as a society, we must find nonviolent solutions.

Kristen McCord

Graduate student

Agronomy