Most of the attacks I hear about the Roe v. Wade argument come from either a religious standpoint or that of a man’s. When criticisms are biased as so, it raises the question of equality and fairness. It is every person’s invariable right to health and happiness; that cannot be argued. But pregnancy is not a disorder or a disease. It is the result of two people’s choices to have sex. Given that rape is an exception, there is equal choice in the production, or rather the risk, of having a baby. Why is it that after that mutual choice all the rights go straight to the mother?

I understand the argument, “it is the woman’s body.” But the rights of a man to have any say so in this decision are left by the wayside. Let us take both sides of the argument. The woman decides to abort the child; the man is left helpless in this situation. What started as a mutual choice has led to her decision, quite possibly against his beliefs and convictions. Now let us say that she keeps the child, which can also be made without the consent of the male. He is held to 18 years of child support, which under normal circumstances, is nonnegotiable. These two sides are of course ignoring the issue of a minor’s right to abortion. Those ladies out there who asked their school nurse for just one Midol got a definitive “no,” as it is illegal to give children medicine. Given this, does it seem odd to anyone else that a child can have a free operation without the knowledge of parents?

These cases all contain injustices at the price of a woman’s total authority. What does that mean? I am not attacking abortion. I believe it to be a necessary institution in America. What I am protesting is the bias. Having been in this situation of helplessness, I feel that it is unjust to have no say whatsoever.

Listening to the opposing arguments on the situation there is also a vocabulary of biased terms thrown around by both sides that readers should be aware of when reading debate. For the feminists, they include pro-choice, anti-choice and a series of other “delicate” words to make the operation seem more palatable (i.e. reproductive health, fetus). On the other side of the argument are pro-life, pro-death, murder and premarital sex.

Roe v. Wade was an important step in women’s rights but must be reevaluated on feminists’ own premises of equality and justice.

TIM O’NEILL