Editor:

Our son, Alan Kesselheim, sent me a copy of his article published in a Bozeman, Mont., newspaper, regarding abortion from a male point of view. What he wrote follows, with one slight addition by me.

"When it comes to abortion, the discussion rages unabated in one direction, while the fundamental issue rarely gets discussed. All the rhetoric revolves around the sanctity of life, the start of life, whether abortion is murder. In fact, that debate is largely a smoke screen. The real issue is one of power, and the freedom for women to control their lives.

"Think about it. What if it were men who got pregnant. Do you really believe that society would expect men to give up their athletic scholarships, their military careers, their academic futures, their professional ambitions to have babies? Would we expect men in untenable life circumstances to buck up? If men got pregnant, would we tell them to get over it, get on with it, accept the joys of fatherhood and stop whining?

And, by the way, says his female partner, I'll be hitting the road for a while. Take good care of the kid.

"I think not. If men were the ones who got pregnant, and men were saddled with the responsibilities of parenthood, abortions would be as uncontroversial as tonsillectomies, clinics providing abortions would exist in every county, and abortion providers wouldn't have to fear for their lives.

"Maybe it's time to discuss what's really at stake."

CHELSEA KESSELHEIM, Lander