Letters to the Editor

News, Dec. 1: “Seasonably Warm”

Fake it

The new synthetic AstroSnow™ is fabulous though. Same stuff as AstroTurf except white. You’ll love it!

R.J. Ward, via Facebook

News, Nov. 24: “Body Sovereignty”

Work to be done

A crucial addition to sexual education would be affirmative consent, particularly in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV), where consent is often assumed due to being in a relationship, or there are repercussions for refusal. Requiring the inclusion of affirmative consent may help begin to standardize the healthy relationship lessons that are already a mandated part of sexual education. Currently, there is little guidance on how to teach such concepts—a recent study by UNM found that sex-ed is inconsistent across the state, with many schools being unaware of or ignoring regulations.

However, when taught successfully, such curriculum is one of the few proven preventative measures against IPV. Given the understandable reticence of victims to come forward, focus on prevention is vital. According to an analysis of The New Mexico Interpersonal Violence Data Central Repository, an estimated 54,401 women and 50,894 men were victims of physical and sexual domestic violence in 2019—nearly seven times more than were reported to the police.

Clearly, there is much work to be done to improve sexual/relationship safety. Consequently, it is frustrating to see that the legislative fix of a small piece of the solution may take three or more sessions.

C. Martin, former resident of Santa Fe, currently of St. Paul, MN