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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 2003)
C ommentary N ovember 5, 2003 T he C lackamas P rint • 3 Protecting lives or prohibiting rights? Ending innocent lives is wrong Government is misusing power Shannon Armstead T he C lackamas P rint When I heard that our country had finally passed a law banning partial birth abortion, I was excited. Partial birth abortion has appalled me since I first learned at age thirteen how the proce dure is carried out. I think we all ought to be appalled at this murderous act. In a partial-birth abortion, the doctor who took the “Hypocratic Oath” that says he will uphold human life no matter what, pulls the baby feet- first out of the womb, so that only his head remains inside. The baby’s heart beats rapidly, arms flailing. He is cold; anesthetic was given to his mother but not to him. The doctor proceeds to jab a scissor-like instrument into the back of the baby’s head, then uses a high-powered suction machine to suck the baby’s brains out. This caus es the skull to collapse. The baby’s arms, with tiny fingers that already have unique fingerprints, drop. The doctor then delivers the now-dead baby. Gruesome? Yes, but it’s also fact. Don’t read it here though; look it up on the Internet, in the news, anywhere. The word ‘fetus’ will be exchanged for ‘baby.’ They will most certainly fail to mention what the ‘fetus’ is feeling, but the basic idea is the same—deliver the baby up to the neck, a jab and the brains are sucked out. Is the baby really in pain? “The fetus, within this time of gestation, 20 weeks and beyond, is fully capable of experienc ing pain,” said R. White, director of Neurology and Brain Research at Case University. “Without doubt, a partial birth abortion is a dreadfully • • c painful experience for any infant.” So is it hard for Americans to understand that sucking a baby’s brains out is murder? Not for most. A Gallup poll in January 2003 found that 70 percent of Americans favored a ban on partial birth abortion, “except in cases necessary to save the life of the mother.” The 25 percent who opposed the ban stand on such platforms as ‘women’s health.’ In the case of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court defined health as well-being. Is well-being defined as success, money, freedom? Should we kill one person for another’s well being? Those who oppose the ban may also consider themselves sympathizers with rape cases or “unwant ed babies.” xa Do they real- ¿v ly believe that having the baby’s brains sucked out is going to make the moth er feel better about hav ing been raped? Abortion is by no means the only option for “unwanted babies.” There are millions of names on waiting lists of couples longing to adopt. Partial-birth abortion has always been a disgusting, shameful and demeaning form of murdering humans who are unseen and unheard. Pete Ford O pinion E ditor The “partial-birth abortion” ban is more than just right or wrong; it is a violation of rights. The Senate, which consists mainly of white males, approved the ban of late-term abortions on Tuesday Oct. 21. It is the first federal law to pro hibit an abortion procedure since 1973, when the Roe vs. Wade decision made it a constitutional right. Under this new law, any doc tor who performs this pro cedure could serve up to two years in prison and will be fined an unspecified amount of money for doing things that have been done legally for 30 years. This puts doctors in a tough posi tion to decide which is more important: providing care for their patients or going to jail? If faced with the situation, I would not favor abortion, but I strongly support a woman’s right to choose because I don’t believe that it is okay for anyone to decide what is right or wrong for others. An abortion is something a woman has to live with for the rest of her life and that in itself should be punishment enough. The government disagrees. They claim it is their duty to say what is right' and wrong and have passed a law to that effect. This is completely ridiculous and one-sided. The president and senators seem to think that they have more knowledge than doctors, and know what is best for patients, but what they are really doing is pushing their personal views and morals on others. They’re making it so people no longer have that “fiee” choice. I recently spoke with a source, who wished to remain anonymous, regarding a young woman who went through a late-term abortion. According to the source, this young woman was mentally handicapped and could not make proper decisions for herself. Scared of what her mother would think, she kept her pregnancy to herself. As time passed, it became apparent to the girl’s mother that the girl had not just gained a little weight. The mother questioned her daughter, and the young woman confessed to having sex and becoming pregnant. This girl’s mother knew that they could not care for this unborn child and that it was time for an abortion before it was too late. This happened to be during the third term of pregnancy. I also spoke with an older student whose moth er was raped by her step-brother. Consequently, she had a back-room coathanger abortion. She was 14 years old at the time. The student feels that if there were safer med ical procedures back then, like there is today, his mother would not have endured such pain. He also fears this new law will force people back to old and unsafe methods of getting an abor tion. It is a troubling thought to think that the gov ernment is given the power to control our medical, ethical and family values, whether they believe them to be wrong or not. New laws like this scare me because I feel that I should still have the choice to believe what I want. It makes me wonder what the next issue our conservative federal govern ment will use their power to overcome. The decisions that people choose to make for their own well being should not concern anyone but themselves. Dr. Seuss inspires the editor who feels sneakers should always be worn on a first date Cory Price Co Editor-In-Chief Allow me to elaborate on last week’s story of why my life sucks by going back to the beginning. A major event in any man’s life is his first real kiss. Mine came during my junior year of high school. Every summer my family goes camping at Detroit Lake. This particular summer, some friends of my parents came and brought their daughter Jamie, who was my age. We got along well and grew close as the week went by. The last day of our camping trip, Jamie and I snuck off into the bushes. She asked me if we could kiss and nervously I said yes. As she began to kiss me, she shoved her tongue so far down my throat that I felt like I was suffocating. When she was finished, I felt the most God-awful, sick-to-my-stom- ach feeling. Not being able to take any more abuse, I said my goodbye and never looked back. My first kiss might have been a horrible experience, but I did learn one thing: running shoes are the best footwear for a first date. Speaking of footwear, I have one last story to tell you. If Dr. Seuss were still alive, he would have pro claimed this a perfect match. Cory and Lori. Now I shall tell you the story. We met in Public Speaking class. A few weeks into winter term, I decided to ask her out, fumbling through an invitation to join me at a Blazer’s game. Being the frugal guy I am, I decid ed that instead of paying twenty bucks for parking at a garage, I would park for free a few blocks away. Everything went well until the third quarter, when I felt a chunk of ice land in my lap. I retaliated by tossing the chunk of ice back at her. She kept the game going by pelting me again with the ice. I dealt the final blow to the game when I threw the ice back once more and it landed in her shirt. Suddenly she iced up and gave me the cold shoulder. The only warmth was in the glare she shot my way. If looks could kill, I would have been a smoldering pile of ashes at the base of my seat. I tried to break the silence by suggesting we leave. She agreed and we started the hike back to the car. At one point, I looked back to realize she was a r ** ' a Mitch McShane “I think that it’s probably the first step towards banning all abortions. People should pay attention to this or else they’ll ban all abortions.” T he C lackamas P rint 19600 S Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 (503) 657-6958 The Clackamas Print is a weekly student publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during finals week. 11 Lisa Onimert Christie Williams block behind me. When she finally got back to the car, I asked her what was wrong and she refused to answer. Unable to stand the deafening silence, I put in a Reliant K CD at a nice, background-level volume for the remainder of the drive. The next day, Lori sent me an email berating me for parking too far away from the game for a girl wear ing uncomfortable boots. She also wrote that I did not know when to stop during a friendly ice cube fight. Then she complained about my “Christian rock music that was way too loud when I clearly knew she did n’t like it,” when in reality she had neglected to clue me in to that fact. The moral of this story is that 1 part ice, 2 parts walking and a dash of Christian music don’t make for an appetizing evening. In conclusion, I have a few sug ■Mio w* Mary Arent gestions for a man who wants to enter the realm of dating. First, the profits of Bi-polar Brittany only end with a net loss of friendships, because no one can decide who gets to play tonsil hockey first. Second, always choose a couch over a daybed; a broken daybed leads to broken relationship. Third, never date the daughter of an ex-camie, especially if he owns a gun. Fourth, always keep a pack of gum in your pocket in case you find yourself on a date with an elephant. Fifth, Nikes were hot originally made for track runners, but rather for dates gone ter ribly wrong. And finally, even Dr. Seuss couldn’t make Cory and Lori a perfect story. If you are feeling confused because you missed out on the first half of this article, stop by Mod. B for a copy of our Halloween issue. Rocky Near “I don’t think they should ban any of it. I think it’s a personal choice.” “I think that if it’s already devel oped into a baby, they shouldn’t be having an abortion in the first place.” “I can’t believe they would ever do that. It’s wonderful. I feel they’re getting some headway in what’s right.” Co Editors-in-Chief: Advertising Manager: Production Assistants: Cyndee Mady and Cory Price Copy Editor: Katie Funk News Editor: Jared Eschweiler Opinion Editor: Pete Ford Feature Editor: Karen Hill A&E Editor: Isaiah Creel Sports Editor: Nie Delzell Sports Copy Editor: Frank Jordan Mark Falling, ext. 2578 Megan Cline, Tamie Johnson, Maggie Leniger, Shannon Nielsen, Justin Orton, Carmen Richard Adviser: Linda Vogt Goals: The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbi ased, professional manner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do not necessarily reflect those of the student body,- col lege administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print. Email com ments to chiefed@clackamas.edu. “I feel that it’s taking away a woman’s right to choose. However, it’s probably for the best because by then the baby has grown to the size that it can be called a baby.” Tech I Design Editor: Robb Egan Staff Writers: Shannon Armstead, Michaele Cooper, Earl England, Shingo Izumi, Karlin Johnson, Jesse Lamond, Jessica Le Claire, Ben Maras Department assistant: Lauren Vulsteke The Clackamas Print © 2003
