Oh, those self-righteous young MEN who write impassioned letters to The Northern Star against abortion! No chance THEY will ever expereince an unwanted pregnancy. Since I doubt there’s any chance of changing their minds on the issue, I’m just hoping two things are true: one, that both of these fellows, if they’re single, are virgins, and two, if they’re married, that they only have sexual intercourse with their wives when both they and their spouses want to conceive a child.

Given that even the most reliable contraceptives sometimes fail, it would be reassuring to know that males, with their attitudes toward abortion, never have sex and therefore, never risk causing unwanted pregnancies. One of them advised that if women don’t want to get pregnant, they have the choice of not engaging in sex. That’s true—celibacy is the most reliable form of contraception—so I think guys should apply their advice to themselves.

Judith Testa

Associate professor

Art