To the editor:

I agree with the Iowa State Daily Editorial Board that if nowhere else, a university campus should be a mecca of free thought and exchange (“Respect Free Speech,” March 2, 2000).

Those opposed to a woman’s legal right to choose abortion have as much right to express their opinions as pro-choice persons.

I suggest, however, that the content of table tents be required to be accurate and truthful in order to be displayed.

This was not the case with the Young Americans Foundation (YAF) tents that have caused controversy.

The tents described a woman who had a so-called “partial birth abortion” and another woman who carried her pregnancy to term and then killed her child.

The problem is that there is no such thing as “partial birth abortion.” The terminology cannot be found in any medical text. It is a term coined by anti-choice politicians.

Under Iowa law, it is ALREADY illegal to abort a fetus after the second trimester. The only exceptions are to save the life or health of the mother.

Most organizations opposed to a woman’s legal right to choose abortion don’t really care what procedures are used or at what stage of pregnancy.

These groups want to take away a woman’s right to abortion, regardless of the circumstances.

Heather Wiese Starr

Alumna

Des Moines