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