In the Feb. 20 Daily Wildcat, the comic strip “ETC” by David Parsons, was highly offensive. It shows how insensitive the comic writer is about the serious nature of domestic violence.

On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day. Three in four women (76 percent) who reported they had been raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 said that an intimate partner committed the assault. Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner, according information from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

This is no laughing matter.

This comic fails to illustrate that the girlfriend has been forced to miss days in school as a direct result of her abusive boyfriend, that she will have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars to the hospital because of her injuries and that she is also suffering psychological trauma that will take years to heal, and money if she is to seek psychiatric help. Domestic violence impacts and estimated 1.3 million a year in the United States, and you are mocking their pain.

I would like the Daily Wildcat to never again publish comics that make fun of survivors of violent crime. I would like the Daily Wildcat to have higher standards and understand the impact of printing damaging materials. I suggest the Wildcat editors and author of the comic be educated about the sensitive nature of domestic violence and other acts of interpersonal violence and the potentially damaging effects of trivializing such devastating topics.

— Corrine Bennett,
president of the Students Against Domestic Violence Club

In response to a Feb. 19 column titled, “Contraceptive debate lacks individual choice”:

I just finished reading your column and appreciate your right to have your own opinion about your own sexual choices. Given that you have a choice is a beautiful thing for you and all women. But in my opinion you missed the point. With your choice comes responsibility. Part of that responsibility includes the cost of protection. Why should the American people pay for your protection from pregnancy? It is “your choice” and therefore should be your responsibility to pay the bill regardless of your religious beliefs or mine. The government is in place to protect your rights, not to facilitate your choices. I personally have no interest in paying for your contraceptives. Remember we are the government; it’s time for all citizens to be mindful of that.

— Barbara King,
Chicago, Ill.