Abortion column misinformed
Regarding Nikolina Hatton’s column on Samuel Alito and the issue of abortion, The Advocate, Volume 41, Issue 12, January 13th.
Ms. Hatton states, “A woman makes an untimely mistake, but we have a quick fix.” Judging from her photograph it does appear that Ms. Hatton is young, but regardless of the inexperience of youth, Ms. Hatton must realize that it also takes a man’s sperm to fertilize the ovum that then evolves into an embryo and, as result, it is not a “woman’s mistake,” but the result of a natural biological process that includes a male’s participation and is also one that has not been hindered by a birth control device.
And this is only in cases of mutual consent.
If a female over the age of 18 or a child (under the age of 18) is the victim of rape or incest and a pregnancy occurs, it is not a woman’s mistake. This attitude perpetuates the myth that rape and incest are the fault of the victim (the woman).
While the article is well written, I am alarmed that Ms. Hatton would imply that unwanted pregnancy is only the result of behavior that may or may not be approved by Mr. Hatton or certain members of society.
It is Ms. Hatton’s opinion that the right to choose is “a quick fix.” From my years of experience working in Multnomah County Community Health clinics and my subsequent professional knowledge of the Lovejoy Surgicenter, the option of abortion is not considered an easy fix by any woman. It is a decision that is reached in private between a woman and her health care provider.
Anyone who assumes to know the inner workings of another’s mind, without direct personal experience, is simply making vague judgments and forming uneducated opinions. Instead of blame or moral arguments, and regardless of one’s position on the issue of the right to choose, the citizens of the United States and our government should focus on issues of sex education, readily available birth control, poverty reduction and crime prevention.
Leslie Yates Administrative Assistant
Social Sciences Division
