The Yellow Jacket (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 8, Ed. 1, Thursday, November 11, 1993 Page: 4 of 8
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Opinions
November 11 1993
Abortion
by Jimmy Carter
Corey Mills
Editorial Writers
Abortion has become a driving
political force in many of today's
elections. Virtually all candidates for
any desired political positions must
inevitably contend with this issue.
We hold the opinion (hat
abortion should be viewed as a moral
issue not a political one. We find it
absurd that abortions arc federally
mandated and funded. As of 1992
abortions have been federally
supported in cases of rape incest or if
the mother's life is in danger.
However a survey of 1 900 women
taken by the Alan Gutlmacher
Institute a special research division
ofPlanncd Parenthood reported three
percent of abortions were due to the
mother's health three percent for
possible health problems with the
baby less than one percent from rape
or incest. This leaves 93 percent for
birth control and social
irresponsibility broken down as
follows: 16 percent were concerned
about how the child would change
their life 21 percent were not ready
forthcresponsibility.21pcrcentcould
not afford the baby 1 2 percent blamed
a relationship problem 11 percent
based on "lack of maturity" eight
percent said they already had enough
children and four percent were for
"other reasons."
The statistics prove that more
than a simple majority 93 percent of
abortions have no extenuating
circumstances but arc the result of
irresponsibility and lack of concern
orconcernforthevalueof human life.
Rep. Nita Lowcy sarcastically
said "I'd tell my constituents 'Send
a letter. Say you were raped. Say it
was incest. Say you have heart
disease.'" Lowcy admits that such
advice is "lousy public policy" but
sTHE
Yellow Jacket
Editor-in-Chief Hope Williams
Associate Editor James Dunning
Staff Writers Jessica Dotson. Chad Edgington
Holly Holmes Jerri Norman
Heather Walker Jody Wright
Editorial Writers Jimmy Carter Corey Mills
Staff Photographer Lara Meckfessel
Columnists John Rabon Adam Romig
Patrick Williams
Cartoonist Scott Acklin
Advertising Director Jessica Dotson
Advertising Assistant James Dunning
Adviser Mike Prince
The Yellow Jacket is published weekly by the Journalism Department of Howard Payne
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The deadline for all newt and letters it Monday at noon.
abused by
many pro-choice activists insist that a
woman's got to do what a woman's
got to do.
With 1.3 million abortions
performed each year in the U.S. what
docs this tell us about the state of our
nation's morality and value system?
Values and morality have taken
a secondary position to so-called
"rights" and "freedoms." The issue
of abortion only adds to the decline of
American morality and the depletion
of the value of human life. To value
lifeis not lokilllifc and inour opinion
the appointment of Surgeon General
Joycelyn Elders has jeopardized any
resurgence of appreciation for life.
Although courageous in her stands
we feel that she does not represent the
majority opinion of the American
people.
For example she has demanded
pro-lifers to "get over their love affair
with the fetus" and has accused them
of "only loving little children as long
as they arc on someone else's uterus."
Herpcrccption of abortion opponents
is "a celibate and male-dominated
(Roman-Catholic) church." She has
also written that "most of our society
believes that a baby is God's just
punishment for fornication."
During her tenure at the
Arkansas Health Department (AHD)
Elders implemented school-based
clinics which offered contraceptive
services and referrals for abortion.
When asked whether these clinics
v. ould distribute condoms.she replied
"We're not going to put them on their
lunch trays but yes."
Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.)
pointed out that Elders decided not to
notify the Arkansas school children
when her health department
discovered they had distributed faulty
condoms. If she is attempting to
implement responsibility wouldn't
it be logical to conclude that she would
practice it herself?
proposal
Statistics clearly show her plan
to reduce unwanted pregnancies
through her Arkansas clinics was a
failure. According to Beverly
LaHaye President of Concerned
Women for America "During
Elders's term at the AHD Arkansas'
rank in teenage birth rates jumped
from fourth to second while STD's in
teenagers increased dramatically."
Elders has stated her mission "I
want to be the voice and vision for the
poor and the powerless and to make
every child in America a planned
wanted child." She also said "I
personally feel this that the underlying
issue is sex. That fornication must be
punished and that teenage pregnancy
and the bad things that happen arc the
natural punishment."
This is great. This implies that
we must be held accountable for our
actions and face our consequences.
But how contradictivc it is to promote
abortion as the alternative as opposed
to facing the consequences.
To Elders abortion availability
to all social classes is essential. She
pays little heed to funding which will
come from federal taxes including
contributions from even those who
arc opposed to abortion.
This is evident in Elders
response to a question asking what
she planned to do about crack-addicted
women who sell sex to buy drugs get
pregnant as a result and have crack-
addicted babies. She replied "That's
a real problem. 1 would hope that we
would be able to provide them with
Norplant so they could still use sex if
they must to buy their drugs and not
have unplanned babies."
We disagree with the notion that
unplanned pregnancies lead to
disastrous lives.
A significant alternative which
Elders fails to encourage is that of
adoption. We view adoption as the
only moral and ethical alternative
when a woman desires not to keep or
raise the child. Abortion should only
as an alternative in cases of rape
incest or threat to the mother's life.
As noted above only seven
percent of all abortions arc due to
such extenuating circumstances. We
simply cannot bargain the life of a
child over feeble excuses such as "I'm
not mature enough; I can't afford it;
I'm not ready for responsibility; or
the child will change my life."
ATTENTION!
As much as the editors love
your comments and letters
we are limited to space.
Please be sure to limit
your letters to less than 200
words typed to make our
job easier and your letters
less wordy.
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Volunteering
to be another
'PointofLight'
Jody Wright
You may remember during
George Bush's successful run for
President he initiateda program called
"A Thousand Points of Light" to
encourage volunteerism. Sure it
sounded corny but it seemed to get
results.
During President Bush's four
years in office people volunteered to
help just about anyone in need. It was
a time where our selfish desires were
put off for the sake of someone else.
Bill Clinton upon entering
office promised change and true to
his word we got it. This could be
about the only thing this
administration has kept its word on.
These days rather than looking
out for the other guy we arc being
told to look out only for ourselves.
Look at the health care issue (he
evil insurance agents doctors and
pharmaceutical company executives
are all out to rip us all off.
Most of the insurance agents
and doctors that I have know have
been upstanding people who were
willing to go out of their way for their
clients and patients. Idon't personally
know any pharmaceutical company
tUAvTZ
w - -
. t
foiMTS-oF-
executives but I'm sure they arc real
nice people also.
Why are these people made out
to be so bad? We are being pitted
against friends and neighbors over
this issue.
None of this is leading anyone
to reach out a hand in friendship.
With all of the natural disasters
that have occurred during the Clinton
presidency I don't believe that any
effort has been made for Americans
to voluntarily lend out a hand. The
government just throws money at it
and hopes it goes away.
Even some national relief
agencies arc running television ads
begging for money.
In the old days or so I've heard
neighbors would pull together to help
each other when they were in need. I
am especially reminded of farmers
having cither house raising parties or
barn raising parties where neighbors
from all around wouldcome andbuild
the structure.
This made up a community.
Today we barely get to know our
neighbors let alone try to help them
much.
Maybe I can't lay this totally at
Clinton's feet but there seems to be a
shifting in attitudes over the last 10
months.
Clinton himself did say that as
President it was his responsibility to
set the national agenda. Could we put
genuine caring for others back up
there as a priority. I don't mean
throwing a lot of money at some poor
people and hoping they will go away
I mean genuinely doing things to
improve the condition of living for
all of us.
Surely we can plug in the
"Thousand Points of Light" again.
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The Yellow Jacket (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 8, Ed. 1, Thursday, November 11, 1993, newspaper, November 11, 1993; Brownwood, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth103298/m1/4/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Howard Payne University Library.