In response to Mariah Furness’ Jan. 22 opinion piece “We must move beyond bitter abortion debate” I would like to present myself as perhaps her opposite. My politics: I’m anti-war, anti-death penalty, pro-union, feminist, pro-welfare, for graduated taxes, I ride public transit, buy organic, support small businesses and farms, and I am pro-life.

Despite my agreement with the rhetoric of the Democrats and the progressive movement on many issues, I just can’t buy into abortion being some sort of salvation for women. How did Roe v. Wade bring about the major advances that Furness speaks of? Why is the increase in abortions among poor and minority women a good thing? Why is advocating abortion in other nations not considered cultural imperialism? What is so wonderful about being able to take a life?

Abortion goes against my personal ethics. I can’t support my sisters in India and China being preferentially aborted. It violates my personal commitment to

nonviolence, to working for the rights of those who are oppressed, unrepresented and overlooked.

Any woman, any person has basic rights including the right to life. I support offering a wide range of contraceptives to any woman or man who wants them, but not abortion on demand. Abortion is an issue of human rights. To paraphrase Furness, I am not pro-life despite my politics, but because of them.

I cannot talk about peace,

nonviolence, justice and equality without being pro-life. Despite my horror at having the Republicans control our legal system, there may be a silver lining to the cloud: a rescinding of abortion “rights.” It is my dream, however, that someday we will have a president that stands up for the forgotten, whether a working mother, a brother on death row, a family in Iraq or an unborn sister.

Julia Kumba YingHua Curran

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