4a Opinion Tuesday, February 27, 2001 For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Perspective Abortion labels skew essence of arguments I am going to try to end the abortion argument today. According to the usual standards, I am pro-life, but in no way am I anti-choice. Let's call these coalitions what they really are and stop playing word games. Pro-lifers are anti-abortionists. Pro-choicers, astonishingly, are less united in their beliefs; some believe abortion is wrong but see a social need for it, while other pro-choicers support both its validity and its necessity. The latter group, in essence, consists of pro-abortionists. But both sides use the same argument: A woman has a right to choose. The pro-abortion coalition constructs a successful smokescreen disguised as a liberty-driven controversy. We have anti-abortionists arguing that a fetus is a human life, and in response, pro-abortionists construct a self-contained argument that has nothing to do with what anti-abortionists initially argued. The pro-abortionists' main premise is that women have a right to both sides use the same argument: A woman has a right to choose choose. It's both a brilliant and idiotic argument. It's brilliant because in this day, no one in his or her right mind would try to infringe upon a woman's right to choose. Men and women are closer to equality than ever. So when pro-abortionists have a banner that suggests choice and freedom infringement, who wouldn't rally behind that? I've read column after column from our KU pro-choice representatives that repeat the same hollow jargon about how women's rights are being infringed upon, but not once is the issue of qualifying a fetus as a human ever explored at length. So start with the real issue. Matt Cox columnist opinion@kansan.com If you are pro-abortion, you don't consider a fetus to be a human. If you do, you are, in your mind and soul, committing murder. So, to those of you who think a fetus is not human, let me show you something. No, not horrific pictures of the sad reality of your flagship, nor preachy, irrelevant text, but a true story. Eleanor, a 23-year-old woman, was down to 87 pounds, dying of an open tuberculosis cavity in her lung (no, this isn't an e-mail chain letter — it's a report of factual events from the Carolina Medical Review). Physician Joseph McDougall exhausted all procedures known to medical science to try to save her, and she was dying quickly. Somehow during this flasco, she became pregnant. The explanation was "beyond science," McDougall exclaimed in shock. The doctors had every medical right to abort the fetus. She refused. After three weeks of struggle, her TB cavity compressed and sealed because of the fetus, her temperature came back to normal and she gained a lot of weight back. The unborn baby saved the mother's life in its first trimester. This isn't a story based on theory to support a belief. So pro-abortionists: Start addressing the facts. Stop avoiding the issue by saying, "What about cases of rape and danger to the mother's health?" Don't use special instances to justify the main scope. You're fighting mostly for the cases of "Oops, I forgot to protect myself" and "I want to be sexually active and eliminate the consequences at all costs." Millions of mothers who have access to abortions live in worse conditions than you will ever experience, but they know their child is a joy, and joy supersedes any horrible environment. So you think it's hard to raise a kid when you don't have the money or you don't think the environment is right? Welcome to Earth. Your only real choice is whether to have sex. After that, live up to your responsibilities as a decent human being. We don't let thieves choose their punishments, do we? No, we expect them to justify their actions through jail time. Even though having sex doesn't make you a criminal, the analogy still applies. So please just grow up and take responsibility. When the argument is about an apple, stop talking about oranges. It makes you look quite thoughtless, selfish and misinformed. Cox is a Lansing senior in journalism. Graham Moyer/KANSAN By the Numbers 48 Number of American states in which physicians may legally prescribe clean needles to addicts. 26 Number of these states in which pharmacists may legally fill these prescriptions. Rank of the United States among the world's largest exporters of grain and importors of oil. Rank of Estonia among the world's top importers of U.S. frogs' legs in 1998. Percent increase since 1991 in the number of U.S. babies abandoned after leaving the hospital. Perspective Source: Harper's Index Fight's newsworthiness affected paper's decisions For the past two years, students at the University of Kansas planned what one administrator called the best Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government ever. But a fight broke out during the conference Friday night, slightly disrupting the event and causing the Kansan to highlight the tussle on the front page of yesterday's paper. The incident left everyone — from African-American student leaders to Kansan editors — with a sour taste in their mouths. The answer, unfortunately, is that there is no answer. "There's not always a right and wrong way to handle things," said Kansan editor Lori O'Toole. The decision we settled on was a story about the conference and the fight, with the headline, "Fight fails to derail minority conference." But that decision was not wish. Leita Schultes readers' representative readerseer@hansan.com Position, especially from African Americans. "I was a little disappointed in how the Kansan as a whole approached the article," said Robert Page, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. He said that KU students spent countless hours planning the conference and that the fight should not be the story's headline or lead. "This was the best conference that we've ever had, and that's because the KU students worked really hard," he said. "And now, they're hurt because their own paper said their conference was about a flight." "Cover the fight — that's fine," he said. "Cover it as 'this took place, but still the conference was a huge success." Page said the Kansan story was especially hurtful because it came from the peers — and fellow students — of those who planned the conference. "A fight at something like that is a hell of a lot more interesting than a fight that breaks out at a hockey game," said Ted Frederickson, who teaches the advanced reporting classes that all Kansan reporters take. Still, faculty members in the school of journalism said the fight was newsworthy. Malcolm Gibson, who teaches advanced editing classes to all of the Kansan's copy editors, said the Kansan needed to ask the question, "How disruptive was the fight?" He said that because the fight affected the conference and resulted in some people being "uninvited" to events, that issue belonged in the story, if not in the first paragraph. Two things happened, he said: A conference took place, and a couple of people got in a fight. Initially, I thought the Kansan should have run two stories: one on the conference and its success, another on the fight. But then I found out that Danny Phillips, the reporter who wrote the story, actually learned of the fight not from police reports, but from students who attended the conference — it was an issue at the forefront of their minds. So he wrote the story about the fight and reactions to it — and how students and the conference triumphed in spite of the incident. Turns out it was, which meant it had more information about the positive parts of the conference. But somewhere along the line the story was cut because of available space in Monday's edition — something all newspapers deal with. Not one decision concerning Monday's story was made unilaterally. Everyone from the reporter to the campus editor to the copy chief to the editor discussed and worked on this story because they knew it was a sensitive issue. That's not something that happens with many stories, and I think it's a credit to the Kansan. "Everyone knew about it; everyone agreed on what our goal was," O'Toole said. "Everyone stopped to think, 'How should we handle this? Is this OK?'" Next, I thought — and Gibson agreed — that the story should have been longer. We need to look at how we can discuss this issue and learn from it, he said. "Hopefully." Page said, "this can be an educational process and no one feels like it's a fingerpointing thing." The fight was unfortunate, especially because it detracted from such a successful conference. Whether you're in or out of the Kansan newsroom, I think everyone can agree with that. Schultes is a Rolfe, Iowa, sophomore in journalism and religious studies. Editorial Victims have right to view execution The hundreds of people affected by McVeigh's crime deserve to see him die. In January, the federal government sent letters to approximately 1,100 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and their families, asking them if they wished to view the execution of bomber Timothy McVeigh, possibly via closed-circuit television. Despite its unprecedented nature, this widespread offer was justified and appropriate. In extending this right, the government was working well within the boundaries of tradition and decency. The move was controversial, however, drawing objections from groups including the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Kevin Acers, a member of the coalition, claimed that sending such invitations "almost encourages people to be enthusiastic about the execution." Hundreds of people have responded to the letters and requested that they be able to witness the execution. Such a response would seem to indicate a certain degree of enthusiasm, as Acers suggests, but the eagerness for the execution date of Wednesday, May 16 to arrive stems not from a perverse desire to see another human being die. Instead, these victims are eager to bring a greater sense of closure to the suffering that the bombing has caused them. The right to witness the execution of the convicted has traditionally been extended to victims and their families to help them move forward after their tragedy. Although this situation is different because of the large number of victims involved, the spirit of this tradition remains just as important, if not more important, in McVeigh's case. The hundreds of people who are still haunted and embittered by McVeigh's crime deserve an opportunity to end this chapter in their lives. Andv Marso for the editorial board Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed. For more comments, visit www.kansan.com. if you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924. KU Info got mad at me because they didn't know the answer to my question. I don't think that's right. 偶 图 I'm an average KU student, and I've drank more than zero to five drinks, and I have not yet begun to party. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Chancelor Hemenway. Does anybody else think that it's a crock that we won both our games this week, but we still dropped a place in the coaches' poll? I took Saferide home tonight. The driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The pizza delivery guy just mooned us here in Oliver, and it was cool. Rock on, dude. = Forget cockroaches. It's the Brown Recluse that bothers me. □ I hate pants, but The Man says I have to wear the pants. So I wear them, but don't think I like it. 图 Let's stop worrying about Eric Chenowith and start worrying about overthrowing the government. 顾 Whoa. What did that stop sign say? if you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924. It makes me sick that a Black man can break the law, believe that he was discriminated against on account of his race and receive an apology letter. 图 if you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924. I don't like where these Taco Bell commercials are going. I think we need to stop the weirdness now. Let me get this straight. Jeff Carey can get elbowed in the nose, yet no foul. But Eric Chenowith stands underneath the basketball with his arms in the air, gets bumped into, yet he fouls. Where are we playing this basketball game again? Oh yeah, Nebraska — the most biased place on earth. 图 In Friday's Free for All, you printed a saying that two RAs were fired for their actions. Two RAs were not fired; they quit due to Hugo Vera. 图 OK, check this out. Texas beat Iowa State, and we beat Texas. So technically we beat Iowa State. Woo-hoo. if you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924. What's the fun of being your own girlfriend if you don't have your own boobs to play with? Hey Collison, I just got through watching you on ABC. Nice hickey. If you can't remember, it didn't happen. How to submit letters and guest columns Letters: Should be double-spaced type and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions Guest columns: Should be double- spaced used with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opinion@kansan.com or submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. 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