Animal and Abortion rights

[On the] article “Jesuit Magazine Puts the Bite on ‘Animal Rights’” (Feb. 28 - March 6): I have found when people want you to sign a paper for “Animal Rights,” the person with the paper is also for “Abortion Rights.”

Fran Flanagan

Phoenix

President Clinton

It was fitting that you give your in-depth coverage to the Pope's speech and to the speech of President Clinton in St. Louis in deference to the high office they hold.

However, what were you thinking in publishing that sanctified photo of the Pope and the President which will be copied all over the country as the co-president seeks public office?

Throughout the country the media and public parroted the Biblical quote in reference to Clinton, “He who is without sin, etc.” No biblical scholar am I, yet what comes to mind is this one: “By their deeds ye shall know them.”

After Clinton was caught lying to the grand jury, ostensibly he found God. One month later for the third time he vetoed the ban on the grisly procedure termed partial-birth abortion and continues to push for funds for abortions overseas, [for] federal employees, the military and all other bedroom issues. Planned Parenthood receives a couple hundred million dollars to waste in court fights and to open abortion clinics and the average voter isn't even aware of his tax dollars wasted.

Betty F. Bennett

Garfield Heights, Ohio

Death Penalty

Regarding the editorial “Opposing the Death of the Guilty” in the Mar. 7 - 13 Issue: In our society we are besieged by violence and that violent behavior cannot go without consequences. Sometimes the consequence must be capital punishment since the individual would be a continuing threat to society and beyond rehabilitation. Anyway, prisons should not be rehabilitation centers; they should be places for criminals to pay their debts to our society. No more.

Capital punishment is not murder. Capital punishment is the ultimate consequence for the most heinous of crimes.

I see no correlation between abortion and capital punishment. One can be against abortion and pro-capital punishment. Abortion is murdering an innocent human and capital punishment is removing an ongoing threat to society.

Our society needs to place a higher value upon human dignity and, for that to be done, we as a nation need to keep capital punishment in place to defend ourselves.

Margaret Searle Robert

via e-mail