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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2006)
Tlackamas Print Student Poll Abortion ban a good starf" Elizabeth Hitz The Clackamas Print tfhat do you think about abortion? M I “I believe that this nation ’ sm B sh°uld be a j| nation that . £■ supports life.” B B fa Lussier Jake Johnson “Abortion should be used only for life or death situations favoring the mother.” landaHarp think it’s E mother’s/ Oman’s Lice.” Austin Parker Commentary 3 Wednesday, March 15, 2006 On March 6, South Dakota took center stage in the national abortion debate as Governor Mike Rounds signed a bill outlawing all abortions except those performed for the sake of the mother’s health. The ban seems to be a politi cal move; a protest of sorts, which, because of our cur rent judicial system, has no real hope of surviving. With the appointment of two new Supreme Court justices, this ban simply seems like a ploy to bring up the generations old feud between pro-lifers and those with a pro-choice agenda. Roe v. Wade, the infa mous court ruling handed down Jan. 22, 1973, made abortion, including partial birth abor tions, legal nationwide. But even if the ban is just a strategic maneuver in the game of politics, where does that leave the heart of the issue: should abortion be legal or not? Health wise, abortion is one of the safest options available to women as a means of so called “birth control,” with less than a 0.5 percent chance of complications in patients. The procedure is about a tenth of the danger associated with childbirth. However, the psy chological effects of an abor tion on women are massive, long-lasting, heartbreaking and little known. According to the Tennessee Right to Life website, in a 1985 University of Minnesota study Dr. Anne Speckhard, “researched ‘long-term mani festations of abortion’ and found that 81 percent of moth ers reported preoccupation with their aborted child, 54 percent had nightmares, 35 percent had perceived visitations with their child and 96 percent felt their abortion had taken a human life.” I’ve seen the effects of abortion firsthand. Watching a grown man, over 48 years old, sob like a baby over an abortion that happened over 20 years ago is heart-wrench ing. A worn, weathered face twisted in grief, and the most haunted eyes I have seen on any human being, these are the emotional effects of abortion. And they affect more than just “the women.” The same site states, “Immediately after an abortion, many women report a feeling of relief ... What you won’t hear of is the guilt and depres sion that frequently follows. A national poll found that at least 56 percent of women experi ence a sense of guilt over their decision, though the pollster him self acknowl edged that many women will not even admit having had an abortion. In fact, a five-year study shows that 25 percent of women who have had abor tions sought out psychiat ric care, versus just 3 percent of women who have not had abortions. Further, numerous studies reveal that women who have had an abortion experience a high incidence of depression, stress, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings and substance abuse.” According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, “At 22 days after conception, a baby’s heart is already beating. At six weeks, brain waves can be measured. At eight weeks . . fingerprints have formed. At nine weeks, the unborn child can feel pain.” Most abor tions are per formed between the first 6 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Think about that. " Watching a grown man sob like a baby over an abortion that happened over 20 years ago is heart-wrench ing.” Letters to the editor | Vandalism unfair to clubs It is unfair to the Rainbow Club to have vandals ripping off their posters. I believe strongly that these types of situations may and often times result in violent acts. To live in a flee country means that you do have freedoms. And to have people vandalize property is a great tapointment Whether it be the Rainbow Club, Latino Chib, or any other club, they should all have the same respect. One must understand ¡that these types of people show the same lack of integrity to not only the (Rainbow Chib, but to many other (groups of people. I really hope fe results in a non-confrontational Ending. I Gabriel T. Alba I Equal support an issue I I am responding to the recent article in the Clackamas Print about the Rainbow Club posters that have peen tom down. Carol Burnell was ¡Clackamas Print 119600 S. Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 1503) 657-6958 ex. 2309 I The C lackamas Print is a weekly I student publication and is l^stributed every Wednesday except finals week. quoted as saying: “Tearing down the posters was counterproductive. People got upset, and they wanted to do something about it.” I agree with this statement because it made the club come back stronger. When you react to a poster by tearing it down, it makes the other side upset and more determined to push then- agenda. I think that-this is not the result that the vandals wanted. I don’t believe that any signs should be tom down. On the other hand, the school should support those who want to promote a club of the oppo site view just as much as they back this group. I was somewhat disap pointed that the tone of the article showed only the club’s side and worked to enforce their increased strength. I also detected definite bias from the faculty members that made statements. I believe that it would be right to make sure that our faculty come from a diverse back ground, and to strongly discourage biased responses to students. Brian Grove Beliefs shouldn’t equal hate The issue of gay people is con troversial. Even though I don’t want to predict, I think it is going to be controversial for as long as this Earth rotates. I have a strong opinion about this issue. I am against homosexual ity However, my beliefs and my opinion don’t make me do hate ful things. I knew one homosexual young man pretty well, and I per sonally never treated him badly. I actually think he was a good person. 1 would say that I can like people, but strongly dislike what lifestyle they choose. I do believe that it’s a choice. The article in the newspaper tells only one side. However, how about straight men and women? How do they feel? Maybe they think that the world is going to collapse because God just can’t look at homosexuality anymore. I don’t want the world to end like Sodom and Gommorah. InnaUmerenko Vandalism unsurprising Ihaverecentlyreadanarticle enti tled “Rainbow Club target of intoler ance,” located in The Clackamas Print. I must say that I’m not at all surprised. Although the rate of people coming out is steadily rising, there are still people out there who will fight its progress every step of the way. In my opinion, every one is entitled to love whoever it is that they choose to love (within the law). There is abosolutley nothing wrong with a man loving a man; a woman loving a woman. To most of our society, these relationships seem ungodly and unnatural. Butwhoare we to deny someone love? This is America; [we have] the freedom to choose and the freedom to express who we truly are. To deny some one the liberty of self-expression is like denying someone the right to breathe. When will we, as a whole society, start to understand the exact nature of our wrongs, and let those who socially suffer finally be free? Rae Ellen Gandy E ditor - in -C hief : Ben Maras C opy E ditors : Katie Weinberg, E. E. A d A ssistant : Megan Cline P roduction A ssistants : Tayo S taff W riters : Courtney O'Byrne, Stalnaker, Adam J. Manley, West Alexander Case, Derek Erickson, Justin Goe, Elizabeth Hitz, Frank Jordan, Mike Kirnberling, Megan Koler, Adam J. Manley, Matthew Olson, Joe Piazzisi, Kim Schiewe, Tayo Stalnaker, Kyle Steele, David Stark N ews E ditor : Katie Wilson C ommentary E ditor : Laura Cameron F eature E ditor : C.J. Ciaramella S ports E ditor : Mike Guidice A&E E ditor : Jadon Triplett P hoto E ditor : Jeff Sorensen A d M anager : Sam Krause Brandon Huddleston P hotographers : Adam J. Manley, Harriet Strothers, Lara Hedbor D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt D epartment A ssistant : Pat Lichen We’re all in this together While I am not personally offended by the poster incident, I do feel the need to remind people from all walks of life to look at the world through another’s perspec tive. We are all college students, with many other similarities, trying to put ourselves through school. This school belongs to everyone equally. Students have the right to put posters up, and hopefully they will be treated with enough respect [for the posters] to stay up. However, if the problem is going to continue, with toth sides throwing fuel on the fire, the fault fells on both. We all go here, and we all need to team to get along. Sincerely, Stephen Trone Editor’s note: these letters were written as a class assignment in Diane Averill’s WR-121 class. Submissions were edited for space and clarity, not content. G oals : The C lackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the stu dent body, college administration, its faculty or The Print. E-mail comments to chiefed@dackamas. edu.
