Editor, Daily Nexus:

I would like to respond to Adam Wade Bradley’s letter (The Reader’s Voice, “Basic Scientific Knowledge Supports Fetal Rights Act,” May 14). He states that “any organism that takes in sustenance and reproduces is defined as living” and, therefore, “a zygote is a living being.” His argument is that since a zygote is a life, it deserves to be protected under the law, and that if someone takes that life, they should be punished.

I have a question for Adam. When was the last time you ate a burger? Or killed an ant? Or ate some bread with yeast in it? Or scrawled on a piece of paper? By your definition of life, cows, ants, yeast, trees and every other living thing falls under it. But why are these less sacred than the human fetus? Why don’t these forms of life deserve to be protected by law?

The thing that gets me so mad about Christians, and pro-lifers, is that they only seem to see certain kinds of life as precious, and they see the rest as theirs to use, abuse and exploit. If you care so much about life, why don’t you stop eating animals that are spending THEIR WHOLE LIVES in unspeakable conditions, all because you think they taste good? And I would argue that a pig, cow or chicken has more awareness and capacity to feel fear and pain than a fetus. But, I don’t think it has stopped you from contributing to their pain and suffering.

Western society has always held human life above the rest of life, and I think that this is where a lot of our problems, rather than our solutions, come from. When we have no trees, no wildlife, no clean water and no fresh air, what good will it have done us to have spent so much of our time and energy protecting fetuses?

I agree 100 percent with Adam’s definition of life. I just wish that the pro-lifers would realize that all of life is precious and worthy of respect, instead of picking out fetuses as more worthy of it than the rest.

KRISTEN WALKER