Elections unraveled: A guide to Tuesday | 8A
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Since 1900 | Volume 106, Issue 47 | Monday, November 1, 20<-4
★ AMERICA VOTES 2004 ★
Catholics
split over
Kerry's
platform
Catholic voters grapple with
stem-cell research and abortion,
which the religion condemns
BY MORIAH BALINGIT
NEWS REPORTER
For many, the decision of who to support
this presidential election will be a difficult
one. Where candidates stand on several crit
ical issues, including the economy and the
war in Iraq, plays a key role in how people
will vote. But many Catholics face a unique
predicament: The Democratic candidate,
Sen. John Kerry, is Catholic — some of his
political platform, however, is not.
Kerry is pro-choice, while abortion is ex
plicitly condemned by the Catholic
Church. Additionally, Kerry supports
stem-cell research, which the Catholic
Church also opposes if the stem cells are
taken from fetuses.
Catholics, constituting nearly 27 percent
of the electorate, have traditionally formed
a solid and reliable Democratic voting bloc,
according to religionwriters.com. But ac
cording to an article from the Associated
Press, the Democratic Party’s stance on is
sues such as abortion and stem-cell re
search is causing that bloc to erode.
Bud Bunce, the communication director
for the Archdiocese of Portland, which rep
resents the Catholic churches on the west
ern side of the state, said the Catholic
Church does not advise its congregation on
how to vote.
“The Catholic Church does not take
any sort of stance on political candidates,”
he said.
But last spring, Portland Archbishop John
G. Vlazny wrote a letter to the Catholic Sen
tinel, a Catholic publication, addressing
whether or not Catholic politicians whose
politics contradicted Church teachings
should receive Holy Communion. Receiving
communion is a critical part of a Catholic’s
weekly devotion.
Vlazny said that these politicians, in his
view, should not receive communion.
“As a teacher ... 1 can clearly state that,
when individuals choose not to be in com
munion with the Church by their public dis
sident in serious matters, they should re
frain from the reception of Holy
Communion,” he said in the letter.
Vlazny added, quite controversially, that
some Catholic voters should also refrain
from receiving communion.
“If (Catholics) vote for (pro-choice politi
cians) because they are pro-choice, I believe
they too should refrain from the reception
of Holy Communion because they are not in
communion with the Catholic on a serious
matter,” he added in the letter.
Many University Catholic students agreed
with Vlazny’s statements.
“If you believe strongly enough against
what the Church teaches, then you should
question your membership in the Church,”
graduate student Molly Emmons said in re
sponse to the letter last spring.
Former University student and practicing
Catholic Mike Petersen said he felt Catholic
politicians whose political views contradict
the Church “represent my beliefs falsely.”
KERRY, page 10A
DEFENSIVE VICTORY
Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Oregon
running
back
Terrence
Whitehead
ran for 1.22
yards and a
touchd; w.'i
Saturday
during the
Ducks’ 3i-6
victory
against
Washing
ton . See
story inside
Ion page II.
Men urged to up health exam frequency
The Health Center grants improved STI screening
and contraceptive counseling through FPEP
BY KARA HANSEN
NEWS REPORTER
In an effort to bring men’s re
productive health services up to
par with those of women, the Uni
versity Health Center is offering
comprehensive annual exams for
male students.
The health center has offered
the upgraded exam since the be
ginning of fall term and is strongly
encouraging men to come in annu
ally for sexually transmitted infec
tion screening and contraceptive
counseling through the Family
Planning Expansion Project, a gov
ernment-funded program provid
ing free birth control and access to
low-cost reproductive health care
to men and women whose in
comes meet certain criteria.
While the services aren’t new to
those who qualify for FPEP, they
demonstrate an expansion of offer
ings for men in a program that has
traditionally catered to women. The
improved exams will be longer and
will combine contraceptive counsel
ing with STI screening, health histo
ry and education.
“FPEP is primarily for contra
ception,” said Annie Dochnahl, a
health educator at the health cen
ter. “Since women have more op
tions available through it and men
only have one, men’s access has
been a little more limited.”
The plan to improve men’s serv
ices has been in the works since last
spring, when it became apparent
that many men were using FPEP
services to get condoms, University
physician Ben Douglas said.
“We wondered if there was
some kind of corresponding thing
we could do for them,” Douglas
said. “We looked at what we do for
women’s annual exams, which we
do once a year, and we kind of
came up with a similar thing.”
From July 2000 through Ju.’.e
2004,1,440 males enrolled in FPEP
at the University, compared with
7,803 females, according to statis
tics provided by the health center's
medical billings clerk, Thcia Gregg.
Douglas said men have primari
ly used FPEP services in the past to
get condoms and to be checked for
symptoms of an ST1. Now they can
be screened if they have certain
risk factors, and many college-age
men do, he said.
While individuals who have HIV
or use intravenous drugs are consid
ered high risk for sexually transmit
ted infections, those who have had
a new partner in the past two
HEALTH, page 10A
CANVASSING CAMPUS
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Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Left: Senior political science major Dunya Chirchi, center, and junior medieval studies major Alexis Eudy pick up ballots in Bean Complex on Sunday. Right: Chirchi tries
to canvas at Bean but is denied access. She was eventually allowed in through a back door.