Gloucester Daily Times Debate on Abortion (18), December 26, 1985

A Man Hears What He Wants to Hear

I guess that when 35 people march through town celebrating life, and opposing its destruction through abortion, responses are bound to occur. And so I am delighted that there has been so much interplay on the editorial page of the Times in the past five weeks. The killing of over 4,500 unborn children every day in the U.S. must be protested.

Sandy Parsons’ response to my response is poor (Dec.9). The letter next to it from Mel Russell, responding to her first response, sums it up well — abortion kills innocent human life. This fact is never addressed by Sandy. We have addressed her valid concerns over the justice due women in this society, but she has not addressed our query: What does abortion do other than kill?

Sandy may be comfortable with her beliefs, but she must also recognize the fact that such beliefs sanction over 4,500 deaths daily. Her beliefs force her “morality” upon the unborn, upon fetal children who fight the abortive instruments to the best of their developing abilities. And her beliefs ignore scientific fact about the origins and wholeness of human life. I presume nothing nothing but to submit to the Gospel, and its embrace of honest inquiry, to public scrutiny. Sandy has only demonstrated the words of Simon and Garfunkel in the Boxer: “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” This prophecy applies to women as well.

John C. Rankin, New England Christian Action Council