Since I don't remember Lou's e-mail address, I'll just write him a letter here.

Well, Lou, I read your diary and found it interesting. First off, I wrote a paper about the Wordsworth siblings and how their relationship paralled the ideal partnering put forth by Friedrich Engels. I talked about them being in love but it of course was too taboo for it to go beyond emotional attachment, at least as far as I know.

You should read Dorothy's journals. When her brother went away for a while, she found an apple core he had eaten and freaked out about it, missing him so much. And his wedding day--wow! Her giving him his wedding ring to give to his bride--she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Interesting stuff!

As for abortion: Indeed, it is one of the most complicated issues. Luckily, I think my friends and I are some of the wiser "pro-choicers," because we constantly question exactly what an abortion entails, ethically. Even from a biologic standpoint, that embryo, that fetus, is LIFE. Immature life, yes, you could even call it potential life, but it certainly complicates things. I doubt that any woman, no matter how unattached to the embryo/fetus she may be, can go through an abortion without feeling upset.

As a future scientist, even though I do question the ethics, I honestly have little problem with using lab animals for scientific testing and having them die afterwards as a result. You cannot study biology without using a biological system. Similarly, I would not hesitate to work with human embryos, such as with stem cell research. Furthermore, if there were a surprise visitor in my uterus, I would view it no differently than a "disposable" lab animal, an embryo in vitro, or its precursor, a little sperm and egg cell. It would be lucky to attach to me, to have a potential for life, but I do not think I would be losing anything. Especially at this point in my life, being pregnant is not an option.

However, there are those annoying concepts such as subjectivity and society and emotion that both enrich and taint our existence. What it comes down to is, abortion is something no one wants. No one is pro-abortion. I think both sides can agree with that. The emotional and, if you are religiously persuaded, eternal consequences of an abortion are no one's business but that of the lady involved. Women will get abortions, and I prefer to see them offered in quality clinics with a doctor who will be understanding but also let the woman know what's she getting herself into.

And if contraceptives and safer-sex education were more prevalent, the Catholics and other conservative folk may be suprised at the results.

Yeah.