Dear Mr. Novak,

While I believe that every person is entitled to their own opinion, you certainly give credence to my assertion that opinions and narcissism are now mutually inclusive in this society. In nearly every argument you make, there is one glaring problem: you never consider that people need to learn to accept the consequences of their actions.

You perfectly reflect and illustrate the illness that plagues Americans. Have you not learned that doing the right thing is rarely the easiest path in life? The great men and women that built this country, centuries ago, realized that. Character is built, not by doing what is best for oneself, but by following the Judeo-Christian values that underpin our society, and were followed by all our Founders, even Deists like Thomas Jefferson.

I will concede this. While I do not believe that the federal government has the constitutional authority to decide the matter of abortion (Roe v. Wade was simply another power grab by the federal government), I do believe States should have the right to decide this matter, even if I believe in my heart that abortion is wrong.

There was a time, when I was a decade or so younger, that I did not really care about the abortion issue. I always felt that there were so many other, more important issues that this country faced. But as I have matured, I have realized that though abortion is not the cause of our problems, it does make clear the failure of our society.

I do not believe in relativism; there are objective moral truths. To see them, you need only to open your eyes. Before you so gallantly defend women who do not wish to be pregnant but are, wait until you father a child. Seeing my wife, laying in a doctor’s office the first time she had a sonogram, was like being hit with a bolt of lightning. The sheer thought of destroying that life brought a notion of sadness to me that surpassed the melancholy I felt when my father suddenly died ten years past.

While I do not expect what I have said to change your mind this moment, please consider it. “Time makes more converts than reasons.”

Sincerely,

Social studies teacher Anthony Del Puppo