Abortion War and RU486

Ruth Rosen’s article on RU486 (“The Fight Is for Transformed Lives,” Commentary, July 23), reminds me once more that the debate of abortion vs. no abortion directs attention away from the real pregnancy issue. Her position is that access to RU486 frees women from “endless childbearing.” The conservatives’ response is “Just say no,” to which liberals respond with loud groans. Somewhere between the two positions lies an equally important issue.

The position I would like feminists to support is one that they went very far in destroying. Why is it that a woman cannot say no to having sexual relations without being labeled as seriously maladjusted? If power is the issue, and at least some feminists seem to suggest that that is a large part of the issue, having sexual relations only when one truly wants to is surely the most empowering position.

Under even the most ideal circumstances there will be unwanted pregnancies. Again ideally, both the woman and the man may equally enjoy a sexual relationship, but the reality is that the woman, and the woman alone, carries the burden of pregnancy. Therefore she, and she alone, must be allowed to make the decision as to whether she wants to continue a pregnancy, and surely she should be allowed to have access to the means available to terminate a pregnancy she feels she does not want.

My position is that fewer of these difficult decisions regarding unwanted pregnancies would have to be made if women were really free to decide for themselves whether, and how often, they really wanted sexual relations.

KRISTINE L. OLSEN

South Pasadena