Stop declaring wars\nIn his letter to the IDS entitled, "War on fatherhood," Lucas D. Weeks discusses a situation involving a minor's right to choose to have an abortion and the consent that is required by a sole parent. He presents a case where the father of a pregnant minor apparently took his daughter and her mother to court to appeal the decision to abort the fetus. \nFirst, I'd like to address the debate as to whether or not the parents of pregnant adolescents should be involved in the decision to abort at all. The Interdivisional Committee on Adolescent Abortion states that although the Supreme Court "has assumed that adolescents are less likely than adults to make sound decisions when they are faced with an unintended pregnancy," there is a lack of evidence to prove this assumption. \nSecondly, Weeks claims that "judges in this country have no concern for the little ones inside their mothers' tummies." He fails to consider that babies born to adolescent mothers are more at-risk for developmental disorders and are "more likely to have problems of psycho-social adjustment" (Committee, 1987). He also neglects to consider the detrimental effects on a child whose mother was forced to carry out her unwanted pregnancy.\nOn a side note, as a woman and a supporter of a woman's right to choose, I found not Weeks' pro-life stance offensive but rather his sexist rhetoric. The judges involved appear to have followed the Indiana law that requires one parent, either parent, to consent to their adolescent daughter's decision to have an abortion. One parent's decision about his or her daughter's abortion did not supercede the other's, but rather the father's opinion failed to overrule the combined decision of his daughter and her mother. I am inclined to question whether Weeks' letter is more about the rights of the fetus or the rights of men to have control. I'm not certain that if the father had given consent, Weeks would claim that judges are trying to prevent mothers from having a say in their daughters' lives, and I certainly doubt that he would have declared a war on motherhood.\nMegan Mahoney\nSenior
A lovely thought\nI thought the IDS "A degree of love" (Monday) was so sweet and it certainly brought back memories of the romantic spaces associated with the "degrees of love" my husband, Timothy M. Morrison, and I obtained in the early 1970's. I'll add to the list: Metz Carillon and the Ruter House Door at Wright Quad.\nLinda S. Hunt\nAssistant vice president for administration
Shame on you IU\nI'm glad the article "Welcome to O-H-I-O West" by Alex Hickey (IDS, Oct. 27) was written, and I think the words from the Ohio State coach should have been included. He was really proud of how Memorial Stadium became his fans' home-away-from-home stadium. I think the student body at IU should feel a lot of shame to let another Big Ten team come into Memorial Stadium with more fans than we could muster from tailgating parties. I'm sure that would never happen at Assembly Hall. Shame on you, IU, for such little support for your football team when they have needed it all season long. Do you think those young guys love going out there seeing the visiting team with more fans in the stands? Even a losing team needs fans to support them through the growing process. DiNardo is trying to turn things around and I'm sure he would love a little more support in the stands, even if you are just there to drown out those O-H-I-O songs! \nJanice Dooley\nRosemead, California
