Abortion Not Sole Focus of Tuesday Panel

To the editors:

Your coverage of the Students for Choice panel "Access Denied: The Struggle for Reproductive Rights in the 21st Century" (News, "Panel: Election Will Affect Abortion," Dec. 6) incorrectly identified our panelists as "pro-abortion activists."

This incorrect label misrepresents the concerns of people commonly called "pro-choice" or "reproductive rights activists" by foregrounding only the most controversial aspect of the work they do. While choosing not to call pro-choice activists by the names we assign ourselves, your author did see fit to call activists who might be called "anti-choice" or "anti-abortion" by their preferred label, "pro-life."

The article focused entirely on discussion of abortion access, neglecting any mention of other topics that the panelists discussed, such as international issues in women's health and class and age barriers to obtaining reproductive health services.

In presenting a diverse panel including legal, medical, and religious perspectives, Tuesday's event demonstrated that reproductive rights are not only about abortion, though media insistence on maintaining that focus is a factor in discouraging discussion about a topic that is relevant to the life of every single member of the Harvard community.

Elizabeth F.M. Janiak '03

Dec. 7, 2000

The writer is publicity coordinator for Students for Choice.