To the editor:

This is in response to Scott Burkhart’s letter about being pro-war and pro-life (Public Forum, Thursday). War takes away the life of many innocents, as proven in this recent debacle. How many Iraqi children will not experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? The numbers are astounding.

And to compare abortion to genocide is deplorable. The definition of genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. Abortion is not an agenda to destroy fetuses because of hate but rather a CHOICE. The term pro-abortion is not representative of my belief system. Pro-choice is the acceptable term. I believe everyone should have a choice without fear of violence or condemnation. Why is it so often men who write about reproductive rights? Often, the reason women seek out abortions is because of little or no male support. And why is it so often that those same pro-life Christians are for the death penalty? Your judgments about war and abortion hold no water with me. How can one kind of death be acceptable over another, in your mind?

Layla McEniry,

Lawrence