Dear Editor,

I am confident that the debate for and against abortion will not be settled for a very long time. My stance on the subject is immaterial for the purpose of this letter.

I applaud John Carroll for allowing Scott to write the article. We are in the business of educating our students about the Catholic religion and teaching Catholic morals. We are also in the business of educating young people to be critical thinkers.

We should not be threatened when one of our students questions a lesson that we teach. A great opportunity presents itself for a respectful debate! And, in the end, if the student forms another opinion than what we have taught and debated, while disappointed, we can also be content knowing that we have explored the subject and the student developed his opinion based on the evidence that was most compelling to him.

I do not want my children to blindly follow teachings of the church, or blindly follow anyone or anything, for that matter. I want them to question, explore and debate. I want them to form their own opinion, and I feel confident, based on my parenting at home, through the teachings of the schools that I chose to have them attend, and the teachings of the church that my family attends, that a strong foundation was and is still being formed.

I am blessed to have four children who questioned and debated, and while it was not always an easy debate, it was always worthwhile. I am happy to report that those four children are independent and critical thinking adults who possess values and morals that would make any parent proud.

While Scott’s article made many of us uncomfortable, it is also evidence that we are succeeding at developing critical thinkers!

Respectfully yours,

Registrar Sue Cathell