A clear distinction
In addition to all the Republicans, there are now a dozen Democratic senators on whom the women of America can no longer rely to make a clear distinction between fetal tissue and a live human being ? at least not when it comes to recognizing legal "rights." That's what the senators from Louisiana (John Breaux and Mary Landrieu), North and South Dakota (Kent Conrad, BryonDorganandTom Daschle), Delaware (Thomas Carper), Minnesota (Mark Dayton), Nebraska (Ben Nelson), Arkansas (Mark Pryor), Nevada (Harry Reid), West Virginia (John Rockefeller) and, of course, Georgia (Zell Miller) showed last week when they voted to provide the same level of protection to fetal tissue as to the woman in whom it happens to reside ("Senate approves fetal-homicide bill," Nation, Friday).
Of course, given the low level of protection women normally receive from the federal government, that might not mean much in practice. But the legal precedent being set by this legislation ? making a part equal to the whole ? is upsetting just because it is so illogical.
While we have become used to irrational argument from radical Republicans, the realization that, in addition to the renegade Mr. Miller, so many Democrats are no longer committed to legislating on a rational basis makes clear, once again, that our representatives in both houses of Congress are in dire need of direction from common-sense citizens.
There shouldn't be any doubt that the whole is greater (and therefore more important) than its parts.
MONICA SMITH
Durham, N.H.