To the editor:

I’m writing in response to a recently published letter that expressed the belief that the single issue of abortion should be the deciding factor in American politics. This letter was a good example of how some people see this issue: as a single principle that divides the moral and the immoral in this country. The problem I have with this viewpoint is that the issue of abortion, for the majority of Americans, is not about a single guiding principle or policy, but rather is a conflict of multiple principles and multiple policies.

Two examples of this conflict that immediately come to mind are questions of conflicting rights and interests. Whose rights are more important, those of a living human being to do what she wishes with her own body, or those of a potential human being to be born into this world? Also, who is better able to decide whether they are fit to bring a life into this world: our lawmakers, or the woman actually carrying the child? Those who see this as a simple “black and white” issue believe that the rights of the potential human being are more important in every case. They believe that there is no conflict.

While it is understandable that someone who sees abortion as a simple issue would choose to vote simply, I believe we are best served by candidates who can see the “shades of gray” both in matters of principle and of policy.

Raymond Hodgson,

Lawrence