The intense controversy surrounding abortion obviously shows that for many people the issue is about more than bodily determination, and, although I am very strongly in favor of abortion rights, I agree that there are other important considerations in the debate. There are legitimate reasons for people to disagree on this issue. But anti-abortion activism, which strips women of the right to control their bodies, has no place in a week of events to highlight the dangers of sexual violence. Abortion-rights action, on the contrary, belongs at the center of any discussion of bodily control and gendered behavior.

David B. Orr '01

April 13, 2000

•

TBTN Forgot Guns

To the editors:

I commend the organizers of Harvard's Take Back the Night week for their noble efforts in combating rape and other crimes against women. I would also like to take this opportunity, in keeping with the theme of last week's events, to encourage handgun ownership and carrying among American women.

Sexist assertions by anti-gun activists tell women to fear guns. Arguments that an attacker (presumably male) would wrest a gun from a woman's control or that a woman with a gun would be more likely to hurt a family member than a criminal are clear sexist fallacies that attempt to rob women of agency, suggesting that they have no control over their own actions. Both are insults to the intelligence and independence of women.