Grisly numbers game by the media

As pro-choicers "celebrate" the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I was gladly surprised to hear the media reporting the abortion numbers declined to a 30-year low.

Sadly, many suggested the rate dropped only because of newer restrictions now, allegedly limiting a woman's access to abortion. Instead, I suggest many people have heard about the great and selfless work pro-life advocates have been doing, and have sought more moral and life-affirming options.

However, I find it difficult to rejoice in the report that there were "only" 1.21 million babies aborted in 2005, an average of 3,315 per day. I liken these statistics to another controversial topic: the war in Iraq.

The U.S. military casualty count in nearly five years of battle is LOWER than lives lost to abortion in merely two days!

I sarcastically ask when the media will report the "1,000th abortion" each year as they do with military death "milestones".

As a former Marine, I mourn for each and every American life lost in war. Historically, the relatively low number of Americans lost in Iraq compared to other wars is a credit to how amazing our current military truly is.

I thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

However, these brave heroes chose this profession.

I wish the millions of souls lost to abortion had a chance to make even one "choice" before they were killed.

Additionally, why did the media keeping a running total, like a car's odometer, of how many American soldiers died? Each death "milestone" became headline news, blaring from all the networks as though the terrorists themselves wrote the report.

We don't hear it now, ironically, as American troops are succeeding and casualties are minimal. Thankfully, the death odometer for the war has stalled.

Similarly, I pray the abortion count will continue to decline.

Dan Kuttner

Aurora

Thanks for backing Hubble referendum

Thank you to Friends of the Schools and its leaders, Lynn Bryenton and Ralph Heatherington, for your extraordinary efforts in planning, organizing, and executing a successful referendum campaign. Your message was clear and consistent, and your focus never wavered from the community and the students.

Thank you to every volunteer who contributed time, talent, and treasure to spread the word and get out the vote.

Thank you to Dr. Beth Sullivan, Dr. Richard Drury and Dr. Robert Rammer who tirelessly delivered over 30 informational seminars around the district, many of them early in the day or long after business hours.

Your excellent, factual presentations gave the voters the information they needed to make their decision on election day. Most importantly, thank you to the voters of District 200 for your continuing support of all the students of our community by choosing to build a new Hubble Middle School.

We truly appreciate your commitment to providing the environment to inspire, educate, challenge, and support all students to reach their highest level of learning and personal development. Thank you for your vision and your trust. We look forward to guiding the district through the building process and we will keep the community informed of our progress as we look forward to welcoming students to the New Hubble Middle School on the first day of the 2009 school year.

John Bomher

Joann Coghill

Barbara Intihar

Andy Johnson

Ken Knicker, Marie Slater Rosemary Swanson

District 200

Board of Education