To the Editor:

Re “Elizabeth Heng Ad, Targeting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Draws a Backlash” (nytimes.com, Sept. 13):

The burning of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s face as prelude to equating the Democratic Party with the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge is so far beyond the pale of what is acceptable to anyone, regardless of their political affiliation.

I am a Catholic missionary nun and served for more than 30 years in Taiwan. While in Asia I had an opportunity to visit Cambodia. I was taken to one of the “killing fields” near Phnom Penh, with its glass pagoda of trays and trays of human skulls — adults and children. That visit was soul-searing!

It was therefore beyond appalling to me to see those horrific images used on a supposed “political ad” on ABC during the Democratic debate Thursday night. ABC — until now — has been my channel of choice for the nightly news. I cannot understand how this organization would allow such an offensive ad by a political action committee — regardless of how much was paid for it or which party it was supposed to represent.

Is this what we can expect now for the remainder of this endless pre-election period? What have we come to as a nation that this can be considered acceptable?