Atrocious assertions

In her letter "Actual atrocities" (Oct. 5), Catherine Tobin fails to give proper reasoning for her position that the subjects of abortion are not "people who are alive to feel pain and suffering." Tobin states that she disagrees with last Thursday's demonstrators' (Life and Liberty Ministries) contention that abortion is an atrocity. She states that "real atrocities that are being committed ... are occurring in Darfur where 500 people die every day from violence," and that these victims of the violence in Darfur are "people who are alive to feel pain and suffering."

I doubt that the demonstrators from last Thursday are arguing to redefine the word "atrocity." They argued that the subjects of abortion are persons, andthe removal of the right to life is an atrocity.

Here is where Tobin actually disagrees with the demonstrators -- not over what an atrocity is, but rather whether or not the subjects of abortion are persons. Tobin presents no reasoning for her position that the subjects of abortion are not persons. Tobin gives the reader a definition ofatrocity, when instead she should be giving the reader the reasoning for her stance that the subjects of abortion are not persons.

Stephen Mark Messenger

CLAS III