The Abortion Debate, Part Zillion and One

When King Solomon was confronted by two women, each of whom claimed to be a child’s mother, he suggested chopping the child in half, giving one half to each woman. The real mother, naturally, refused, thinking of her child’s well-being first while the other woman accepted the offer.

The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, decided to go with the first option, splitting the child in two. Legalizing abortion, as written, was a decision which satisfied no one (“The Abortion Debate, Part One Zillion,” The Mail, March 30). Some justices have argued that there is nothing in our Constitution regarding women’s right to terminate their pregnancies. As originally written, there was nothing regarding equal rights for blacks or women in general either. Regulating abortion in the name of protecting the health of women or the life of the fetus circumvents the rights of pregnant women. Since fetal viability is constantly increasing, degree of pregnancy cannot be used as the criterium for abortion legality. Abortion itself must be declared to be the right of pregnant women or it must be admitted that this most essential right is denied to pregnant women. Until the issue is settled, those who are pro-choice and those pro-life are each stuck with half a baby.

Ingrid Krause
Baltimore

First off I need to correct myself. What I meant to say in my last letter was: “What about all the women who either commit suicide or die because of botched self-induced abortions or unlicensed back-alley abortions?”

Now let me go on to the next point. I could sum up my reply to Stas Cohen with a quote from Malcolm X: “Keep it between you and your God.” The bulk of your letter is hogwash. Until the masses of people of this country ratify the Constitution for the Socialist Republic of North America (draft version for discussion) as written by the Revolutionary Communist Party, the Constitution of the United States of America is the law of the land. This country is not a theocracy! Legal abortion is the law of the land. It is a human right and a woman’s right. There is no middle ground!

All that talk about what the Bible says is irrelevant. This is a secular state! If you had your way PETA would be working as the Keepers of the Kosher Commandments and rounding up all who violate the law. Then I would be shuttled off to the pokey for eating a bleu cheese burger with bacon on a Friday night! (I won’t tell who my supplier is!) No, the 10 Commandments are not the law of the land! Once again I’d be in jail for violating the Sabbath!

Speaking of the Top 10, your god couldn’t have found a sleazier person to get these commandments. Watch the video of a talk by Bob Avakian, chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party. His analysis of Moses as a genocidal thug is worth listening to. And my analysis is simple—if Moses wasn’t such a schmuck he would have listened to his wife and the Children of Israel would have only wandered 40 minutes in the desert and found a Holy Land with oil!

For a more in-depth view of the Judeo-Christian outlook, I recommend reading Away with All Gods: Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World by Bob Avakian.

Stas, remember this: Those same people who deny a woman the right to abortion are also anti-gay marriage, anti-evolutionary science, anti-racial equality, and anti-Semitic. The Nazis were anti-abortion! Think About THAT!

Alan Barysh
Baltimore

The X Factor

I was cheered to hear that Chris X remains a free man (“Sweet Deal,” Mobtown Beat, March 23). Mr. X was an early supporter and promoter of my work—he told me back in 1993, before I’d so much as Xeroxed and stapled together my first minicomic, that if I ever drew a comic book he would sell it in his store. And when I did, he followed through, more or less strong-arming innocent hardcore-music customers into looking at my cartoons. He reminds me of my publisher at Fantagraphics, Gary Groth, a passionate advocate of the art he admires who puts his money where his mouth is. He’s a connoisseur and an entrepreneur and, in a Baltimorean way, a pillar of the community.

I was of course disappointed to learn that he was involved in selling drugs, since this was the first I’ve heard about it and a good connection is hard to come by. I certainly agree that our drug laws are absurd, and it’s unfair that people guilty of lesser offenses are locked up. But I for one feel safe, and much relieved, knowing that Chris X is still on the outside.

Tim Kreider
Brooklyn, NY

The writer is an occasional City Paper contributor.