Abortion Posters Insensitive And Counterproductive

To the editors:



Your article regarding Harvard Right to Life’s poster campaign (“Pro-Life Posters Spark Debate,” news, Mar. 6) overlooked the key issue of the safety and well-being of Harvard students who have had abortions.

There are virtually no other groups on campus besides Right to Life that put up advertisements solely directed at challenging and changing students’ opinions. It is very disturbing that the one issue that is promoted independently of advertised events on posters around campus is an issue that may be very personal and painful for Harvard students who have had an abortion, or who are close to someone who has.

There are many ways that Right to Life could distribute pro-life information in a way that is not harmful to these students. For example, by designing more factual, less propaganda-like types of posters, Right to Life could state their message without making fellow students uncomfortable. For students considering having an abortion, they could advertise resources or a hotline to provide students with information on other options.

Free speech and activism for a cause are extremely important at Harvard. However, protecting every student’s right to walk to class without being made to feel bad or guilty about something that has happened in their past is perhaps even more important.



SOPHIE B. BESL ’08

March 8, 2006