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Viewpoint THE GAllcOCK Monday, November 18, 1985 Summit Neither sii The nuclear age breeds in al fear of nuclear war. Many beli< to prevent such a holocaust is t< between the world's two sup< United States and the Soviet U It is not surprising, then, Americans viewing the upcom ween President Reagan and G Mikhail Gorbachev with hope I trol agreement. The central issi is the attempt to limit nuclear; the country, people are saying time," and "we have a real agreement." Sadly enough, however, tl unrealistic. The chances for a breakthroi trol are slim ? the time is too si blem is too complex. Both sides such things as how the weaj counted, and neither Reagan n educated enough on the as Planned Pa A very grateful thank you to Mr. Kudelka for his report on the pro-life lecture by Dr. J.C. Willke. I am writing, though, in response to the comments made by Ms. Lois Park, director of information and education at Planned Parenthood of Columbia. Her emotional appeal and scare tactics, along with her misrepresentation of the facts, cannot go unanswered. A year ago, I would have glanced over the article and made an offhand comment about the radical pro-lifers. But I was ?I .l. ; maiiciigcu iu cAuiiuiic uie issue for myself and was startled by what 1 found. Perhaps a few corrections and amplifications of Ms. Park's statements will illustrate my point. ''We would return to the days whin many wditien were" butchered and scarred." There are no solid figures anywhere that back up the claims that thousands of women were killed before making abortion legal in 1973. In fact, before the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, the figure was only 45 women for the entire year, you would nave to go clear Letters policy needs changing To the editor: If there is any logic in your letters policy, it eludes me. I have written two letters to the editor that were published in The Gamecock. Both were brief, and both were nonsensically edited. This was somewhat disturbing, since they were well under your rn/?/?nn?A^ 1CA I ? jju-wuiu maximum. Your letters policy states that all letters will be printed and that all are "subject to editing." Why? It sounds suitable for the letters section in Pravda or the student newspapers in Cape Town, South Africa, but not for the freedom-loving among us at use. Neither The State newspaper nor the Record cut letters when they fall under the maximum number of words suggested. Newspapers have generally recognized that letters to the editor are only cut if they are too long or contain libels. You, too, should do this out of courtesy to the letter writer; a person's opinion doesn't fall under the same ax as a story on the parking problem. The letters policy should be amended to state that letters will Sond lie i What do you think about? We' If you have an opinion you'd I the Carolina community, send Gamecock. Letters must be typed, double sp the writer's name and telephone r writer can be reached for vcrifica should include whether the writer member or a member of the comr de should have most everyone a control. 2ve the only way "Success at o establish peace measured by a jrpowers ? the may be signed 'nion. passage of tim to find many structed a dura! ing summit bet- The president cnciai otxi ciary Miuauon oeuer for an arms con- with arms cont; le on the agenda tually nothing \ arms. All across A more realis "it is the right relations betwec chance for an be set at this sui trol negotiation tiese hopes are Perhaps both will be lost duri lgh in arms con- be a step backvi lort and the pro- "My expectat differ widely on just be glad to s pons should be things over an or Gorbachev is damage," form pects of arms said. renthood did back to the 1940s, in the prepenicillin era without the advantages of modern medicine, before the figure of 1,000 a year even begins to faintly resemble Planned Parenthood's favorite emotional appeal. This is in no way meant to play down the 45 tragic deaths, only to point out the substantial lack of accurate information that is currently bandied about. "When abortions were illpoal women went to people who performed abortions using unclean facilities and were sometimes under the influence of alcohol." Is that a fact? Does this mean that Ms. Park would now recommend the sleazy, legal, storefront abortion operations, which are nothing more than pure profit icenters? And can she guarantee that the doctors who are performing these operations now are completely sober? This kind of verbiage is pure emotionalism, completely skirting the issue of whether or not the unborn is "just fetal tissue" or, in fact, a living human being. Ms. Park also points out that most abortions are done within :c .I I uv. (.uiltu 19 nicy rtic ll)U lUIlg. In any case, the editing that is done is strangely arbitrary. Today's Gamecock featured a letter concerning WUSC's radio programming that is at least 1,400 words long. My second letter also contained two typographical errors when it was published last week. If I take the time to write a ietter to the editor, could an editor take the time to proofread it before publishing? This is the way a big people's newspaper works. Ivi ? i Li. i u givt. anjruiiiig iu UC ciUIC IU help out on The Gamecock, but two jobs and a full course load kept me from it. I only have the time for an occasional letter. Paul Perkins Journalism senior West coddles South Africa To the editor: This letter is in response to a letter that appeared in the Nov. 6 issue of The Gamecock. The letter's author, Mr. Stephen Drake, expressed views similar to a certain Rev. Jerry Falwell. Mr. Drake claims President Reagan is being very noble in a letter d like to know. All letters arc j like to share with for space and cU a letter to The unless by specia returned. aced, and include lumber where the Neither the tion. Letters also necessarily expn is a student, staff Send your 1< nunity. Drawer A, Russ %5 false hopes the summit should not be ny short-term agreements that warned Reagan. "Only the e will tell us whether we conble bridge to a safer world." t could not have summed up the . If both sides go to the summit rol as their only goal, then virvill be accomplished. tic goal would be for improved ;n the two countries. A tone can mmit that might help arms cons at future summits. sides should just hope nothing ing the summit ? that it won't /ard instead of forward. lions are rather modest. I would ee them meet, shake hands, talk id come away without much er Secretarv nf Hpan Ruck not tell cot the first 12 weeks. Perhaps we need to ask, "What development, if any, takes place inside the mother during this time?" Vital things do, such as a heartbeat at 18 days, all body functions present and functioning at eight weeks, thumb-sucking at eight weeks, and the child's moving around on its own at six to seven weeks. Because of the tremendous advances of the science of fetology, lira bn/\in Un**- * ** ? ? * '?- A "v Miun IIICIC 19 UVJ quouun mat the child, even before 12 weeks, not only feels pain, but also tries to escape it if a foreign object ? such as an abortion instrument ? invades its tiny world. But perhaps the most damning statement of all is the reference to abortion being legal after 24 months. This is only a half-truth. The ruling of Roe v. Wade in 1973 and subsequent rulings define the legality of abortion: 1) No legal restrictions at all on abortion in the first three months. 2) No restrictions from then until "viability," a totally subjective term, except for those needed to make the procedure safer for the mother. 3) Abortion is allowctonrlinn nr* fnr tiiMiiumg u|/ i vi iuv visual V CI 11IC blacks in South Africa. Mr. Reagan is standing up for black South Africans' welfare about as much as Bull Connor stood up for the welfare of black Americans in the 1960s. Because South Africa's mineral resources are extremely important to the Western world, the leaders of the West's two greatest powers, the United States and Great Britain, publicly coddle the racist South African government. Mr. Drake's letter also contained some more short-sighted views about U.S. involvement in South Africa. How in the world can blacks be benefiting more from U.S. companies when the South African government controls all the distribution of profits from those companies? The blacks who work for U.S. comnanies mav nr mnv not av. plotted as much as blacks working for South African companies, but they are still being exploited. The money earned cannot prevent them from being forced to live in barren, desolate "homelands." The money earned also cannot replace the one basic right free human beings should have: the right to vote and have a voice in decisions concerning them. Also, the companies doing business in South Africa printed, and are subject to editing irity. Names will not be withheld, 1 exception. Letters will not be letters nor the guest editorials sss the views of The Gamecock. ;tter to: Editor, The Gamecock, ell House, Columbia, S.C. 2922S. Cotooe Projj Service nplete story cd until birth if one licensed physician judges it neccssary for the mother's health. The legal documents allow tremendous opportunities for the abortionists. "Health," as defined by the courts, can mean almost anything: "Physical, psychological, familial, woman's age, her future, stigma of unwed motherhood." So 1 take issue with Ms. Park's statement and say that without question we have abortion on demand right up until birth. My issue with Planned Parenthood is that they do not tell the whole story. How would the statistics change if the mothers were informed about both sides of the issue before making the decision? How many women pregnant at eight weeks have been told that not only does the baby inside them have a heartbeat, but also that they can actually hear it beat? This is acCOmDlished with an nltrA?r?nir? stethoscope ? present on every maternity floor of every hospital. And finally, Ms. Park's statement: "It (abortion) should not be mandated by government of are not there to give blacks better jobs or working conditions by any stretch of the imagination. They are there because apartheid provides a cheap slave-labor force that can be exploited to the fullest under the guise of better conditions. Mr. Drake spoke of the drought plaguing South Africa as if it could be a possible cause of the disturbances. That statement obviously comes from someone who has not listened to or read a single account of what is really happening in South Africa. The South African government is not going to change as long as this present administration and the Mr. Drakes of America think that pouring more money into South Africa will benefit blacks more than whites. The only benefactors from that strategy are the governments of South Africa and the United States. The land of South Africa belongs to the millions of blacks whose ancestors were born in % South Africa, and not to the rfnrp((iv?> nnrl nr?nr?cit? ^? dants of colonists. By the way, I'm not a left-wing liberal either. David B. Miller Social work graduate student about abort any level. I don't think one group should make that decision for the rest of the country." I would remind her of the vote by my fellow Michiganites in the November ^ 1972 elections, whei popular vote turned down by 63 percent a referendum to allow abortion on demand until 20 weeks. Then the Supreme Court, nine people, overruled that vote by the people less than three months later, and Michigan is now No. 2 in the nation with state-funded abortions. So who is kidding whom? wnai ivis. farK ana tne rest 01 so-called "pro-choice" advocates mean is that they don't want a growing majority to understand what truly takes place. Before coming to graduate school, my job allowed me the^ privilege of observing Vn8 par^ ~ ticipating in more than (jGfrmajor v surgeries: orthopedics, neurosurgery and obstetrics, including live births. 1 was also occasionally in on pre-operative counseling between the surgeon and the patienj. The resounding theme in these discussions was one of compassionate frankness ? frankness, Yesf I recall the Li'l Bird i ne li i tfira was USC's comic newspaper, a thriving underground success for a few semesters before it went the way of passenger pigeons and Burma Shave signs. I had forgotten it myself until a , week or so ago, when my annual ' plunder through the slag heaps of my room revealed my small collection of back copies, dated spring and fall 1982 and spring 1983. Glancing through at random, 1 come across headlines such as "WUSC power increase to kill millions," "Student explodes on Greene Street," "Holderman returns from Martian exchange," "USC secedes from union," "Beach music causes retardation" and "Arafat to teach new courses at USC." One front-page story was about the crew of the starship Enterprise beaming down to USC. Kirk told a Li'I Bird reporter, "Get your autographs now, because we are not coming back." One error-ridden issue announced Jim Morrison's selection as USC head football coach ~ complete with a photo, discography and interview with the rock singer who commented on the exaggerated rumors of his death. "It's Paul McCartney Kdltor-iii-chkf Ann Farmer Maugiiig Editor Tracy Mixson *-opy urn cixr Andy Duncan AnUUat Copy Desk Chkf Linda Taylor Ncwa/Bunlae** Editor Marlsa Porto AMbla?t New* Editor* Juliet Nader Carl Dawson Spotlight Editor RonI Bea Kayne Awistaat Spotlight Editor Ed Chambllss MOHMflHMMMHMHMnHnaailMHBi I # ion issue often, for legal reasons; compassion, always, for humanitarian reasons. Sometimes the truth was painful, such as "You may not be able to walk again" or "Your chances of recovery are only 40 percent." But each time, before the choice was made by the patient, a thorough and complete presentation of the known medical facts was given by the A surgeon. ^ 1 do not believe Planned Parenthood presents the full story. In fact, I would argue that it is because of the people who give up their time ? such as Dr. Willke, a practicing physician ? that the true story is getting to people such as myself. So my voice, now joined in honest compassion with the other pro-lifers, calls out. "clamorina for a true Ifc . choice among the potential victims of misguided counseling. But even more important, it is one voice, laced with conviction and based on fact, that attempts to speak for those who have neither a choice nor, it would seem, a voice. Mark A. Green MIBS graduate Andy * Duncan who's dead, not me." One regular LiU Bird columnist was psychic adviser Harry Green, who "saw" the answer to reader's questions. One reader asked, "Dear Harry: I have noticed a brown patch of skin on ? my left thigh. What is it?" Harry replied, "I see your heirs fighting bitterly over your estate." Rlif tranA/lu o I " nj f wuv v? H5VUJ uvk iiic t-di # oira staff, too, as reporter Joshia Jones was mysteriously gunned down in a Cayce parking lot. His obituary said, "Jones is mourned by none since the recession has created a tight job market in journalism and his death means a job for some lucky student." But I wish the Bird would return. USC needs that sort of thing. , ? Viewpoint Editor Amy DelPo Spoilt Editor Gregg Lasky Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Owens Photography Editor Joseph Garnett nawBtam rnoiograpay Mllor Ray Gronberg Adviser Bill Rogers Director Bill Clements Production Lewis Covington tH? Mark Armstrong