"Dear George-

Amy Jo Tongel is missing the point entirely. Abortion is about CHOICE. She had a choice when she became pregnant and she decided to keep her baby. But she had the choice. I wonder how she would have felt if she hadn't had a choice?

Pro life and pro choice advocates both agree that abortion is not a good thing. No one WANTS to have an abortion. It is not the preferred method of birth control. Prevention is what both sides believe in. Women need to be educated--on adoption, on abortion, on birth control and on keeping and raising their babies. I've been through all four--I'm adopted, I've had an abortion (which I am not ashamed of), I have a son and of course practiced birth control. So I know how it all feels emotionally. Oddly enough, being adopted is what affected me the most--in a bad way. Not knowing where I came from, no medical history, not knowing if I had siblings. Even though I had terrific adoptive parents, it still effects me today at 53.

I do agree that pictures of unborn fetuses should not be on our streets. It is inflammatory and I don't think young kids should see those images. But I respect anyone's right to protest. Those protestors believe as strongly against abortion as I believe in women having the choice. I don't think coat hanger, illegal abortions would serve anyone. There will always be abortions.

I wonder if Ms. Tongel knows how many women died before Roe v Wade?

Jan Cornell (electronic mail, September 8, 2004)