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Men are equals in abortion debate

It almost never fails: A pro-lifer speaks the truth about abortion, an issue that should be neither emotional nor political, and feminists leap out of the woodwork to attack.

The problem with Frances Goff’s letter (“Men have no right to choose,” Oct. 29) is simple. Goff seemed to have no argument and therefore resorted to referring to me as a “carnival nut” in order to advance her agenda.

The fact that a man is a man and not a woman does nothing for Goff’s argument that “men have no ownership of the abortion issue.” I possess just as much of a right to claim a position on abortion as does any woman. Furthermore, one does not need a high school diploma, much less scientific credentials (as Goff demands) to understand that partial birth abortion is horrific, immoral, and tantamount to genocide.

Anthony Kohrs UCLA Alumnus

Men should have say in baby’s fate

Men have no right to choose? Last time I checked the only people who believe in Immaculate Conception are Christians, and they certainly reserve that special status for their savior. So when someone tells me that men have no ownership of abortion, I must disagree.

The real question is how much stake a man should have in an abortion. To say that he has none is no less a sexist stance than telling a woman that her abortion is dependent on a man’s consent. As they say, it takes two to tango.

Excepting certain cases (rape, sex with a minor, incest) most pregnancies occur between two consenting individuals, either within a marriage or without. And two consenting individuals means two voices involved. The man – without whom there would be no fetus to remove – certainly deserves his right to be heard in any question about the eventual fate of their child.

That’s right, not her child or his child – the baby is their child. We can argue whose voice carries more weight – or if they are equal – at another time. The important point is that a group is being denied its rights because of its sex.

So all you self-respecting feminists and equal rights advocates stand up against the real injustice here. To strip away the voice and input of the husband (or significant other) is a crime not against any individual or group, but a crime against the very idea of equality.

Elliot Siegel First-year, pre-political science

Anyone can know abortion is murder

I was amazed when I read that men should not talk about abortion since they have “no ownership” of the issue (“Men have no right to choose,” Oct. 29). Roe v. Wade was decided by men; does this mean their decision was invalid because they were men?

I am not sure how qualified I must be to talk about abortion, but as a female microbiology student, I can say that the horror stories are in fact an accurate description of what happens during a late-term abortion.

This is not my opinion, rather it is a fact easily confirmed by looking in a medical textbook.

As a civilized society, we should see abortion for the murder that it is, rather than saying it is a woman’s right.

Dorothy Liu Fourth-year, microbiology

ASUCLA will listen to student wishes

The concept of Ackerman Union as the “educational and social center of UCLA” proposed in the Daily Bruin editorial, “Students need to enjoy union, not just use it” (Oct. 27) is the ideal for which I strive.

To that end, Associated Students of UCLA dedicates a respectable amount of resources to support a number of programs that generates no income for ASUCLA but does promote Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall as gathering places. To name a few, existing programs include:

• A waiver pool which funds $125,000 of student programming every year. Campus Events Sneak Previews, Westwood Plaza concerts and a myriad of annual events benefit from this facility-based funding.

• The 24 Hour Study Lounge Program converts any sitting/ lying/lounging space inside Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall, including the Terrace Court Patio on Ackerman First Floor, into study space during 10th and finals weeks of every quarter. One element of the program is a commitment to safety with regular security patrols and van rides.

• The Professor in the Union program is one example of our effort to promote educational goals outside of the classroom. Every Tuesday, a professor meets with a small group of students over a catered lunch.

I am happy to report that each of these programs grows in popularity as more students discover their existence. Yet I know that there is a gap between what ASUCLA offers and the proposed ideal. Many registered organization representatives will attest to the fact that finding available dates for event venues and for meeting rooms is a challenge. We need more space and would welcome the funding to build it.

Though the reality of the situation includes limited resources, I never want to fall into the trap of throwing up our hands and saying, “We wish we could do more, but we just don’t have the money.”

I firmly believe that hard work, commitment, ingenuity and opportunism can yield palpable results. However, we need the 35,000 students on this campus to engage in the process.

Take a nap in one of our study lounges; tell us how you think we can improve services to students. I want to hear what students demand so loudly and so definitively that ASUCLA has no choice but to become the student union that UCLA deserves.

Karen Noh, Student Union Division Manager, Associated Students UCLA