It’s necessary to clarify some of the points addressed in the April 23 issue letter to the editor. If I am reading the letter correctly, it says Laura Becherer and I found common ground over three points regarding a story about the excommunication in Brazil of the mother and doctors who facilitated an abortion for a 9-year-old girl who became pregnant with twins after her stepfather raped her repeatedly.

The first point doesn’t make sense to me. It is written in either sarcastic voice or from the supposed perspective of either Laura or me, and I am afraid I did not quite follow the paragraph. I apologize for not being able to fully comprehend the point trying to be made.

Also, it said that if the Church doesn’t uphold its doctrines then “society would not be able to function.” So what is the point of our government? Or the Brazilian government? Isn’t it the government’s job to make sure society keeps plugging away?

The second point is a clear case of misreading. I did not refer to abortion and rape in general as a “modern-day situation.” Rather, I was talking about a specific event (the aforementioned case in Brazil) that happened this past March, in the year 2009. If that’s not modern enough, I’m not sure what would be. Just to clarify my position on this: something decided in Rome in 200 C.E. by people who had never heard of the “new world,” including Brazil, cannot in any way fairly represent the Brazilian situation in the twenty-first century.

The third point, though, is a good one. You can’t argue morals. I suppose I did make a moral judgment immediately following my comment that one shouldn’t do such a thing. A self-indulgence for the opinions section. Please forgive me.

Basically, I could sit in a room and debate this point indefinitely without feeling differently or changing the minds of others. There is no problem with this. The only problem is not questioning the decisions made by authorities, whether governmental or religious, especially when they would have sentenced to death a sexually abused child.

Emily Hadorn
Junior
English Major