Sometimes symbolism simply gets in the way.

There are very few topics on campus, and across the nation, as contentious and as mired in symbolism as the continued debate over abortion rights. It is the definition of a no-win situation, with one side claiming an absolute right and the other finding that right morally reprehensible. It has divided the political and cultural spectrum more than any issue since slavery. It chases politicians, pins down judges and runs rampant through some of the most pivotal institutions.

But nobody, not even special interest groups, wants to discuss it. Oh, sure, they talk about it. They invent terms like abortionist, right-to-life, right-to-choose, pro-abortion, anti-choice, death doctor, baby killer and body Nazi to spin their position. Abortion clinics are called "abortuaries" that fuel the "fetal holocaust," while anti-abortion activists are called "breeders" and told to go back to the Stone Age.

So why was I surprised to find a giant "no coat hanger" sign chalked into the sidewalk in front of Memorial Union?

Am I mistaken or can it safely be said that there are no special interest groups pining away for back-alley abortions? I'm pretty sure that abortion foes want to stop all abortions, not just legal ones. I can't imagine that those in favor of legal abortion are trying to get the FDA to approve over-the-counter sale of coat hangers. Where are these coat-hangers-on that we need to be aware of?

Of course, the chalk was meant to symbolize that if abortion is outlawed then many will return to the practice that killed so many women before Roe v. Wade — an unlikely scenario. It's far more likely that women will turn to chemical forms, to black markets in drugs that are legal in Canada and Europe and to using high dosages of their already-prescribed birth control. But the image illustrates an important point.

Too often in this debate we are confronted with shocking images rather than useful information. If you've been in Madison long enough, you will have undoubtedly seen the van painted with a giant aborted fetus on its side driving around downtown. Those in favor of abortion bring up coat hangers and clinic bombings, as if these are to be commonplace in a world without Roe.

I'm not sure that the abortion debate will ever truly be settled, at least not in my lifetime. I am confident, however, that this kind of mentality is not helping.

Contentious issues, especially issues concerning morality or the limits of governmental power, deserve true and genuine debate. Resorting to name calling and purely emotional appeals skirts the heart of the issue at best, and is disingenuous at worst.

Let's face it: despite the rhetoric of the right, abortion law rests on legal reasoning and not divine revelation. It's not a religious question, but a question of science and law. When does life begin and to what extent can the government legislate a decision between a woman and a doctor.

Yet the left isn't without its problems. "My body, my choice" ignores hundreds of years of legal precedent proving the government has a large amount of control over what an individual may do to their own body, especially when it is deemed to be beneficial to the public welfare.

We deserve to have a substantive debate on the merits of each side of this complex issue. When the level of discourse rises to the seriousness of the situation, only good can come of it. Perhaps next time, Our Bodies, Our Rights!, the organization that placed the chalking outside Memorial Union, will consider a symbol that rises to their noble goals instead of simply appealing to the lowest common denominator.

Charles Parsons ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in literature in English and editorial page editor of The Badger Herald.