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Clackamas Print
Commentary
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006
Face off: Measure 43, is it fair?
Measure 43 would do more
harm than good
Tiyo Stalnaker
\(smmentary Editor
Measure 43 would do
feolutely nothing to stop
tortion.
[ What Measure 43 would
bis make life even harder
& teenage girls and their
brents,' force doctors to
kak patient confidential-
k increase the chance of
«its and increase the
tesibility of more babies
tang brought into the
lorld by people who either
fcn’t want them or don’t
Lvethe financial and emo
ted stability to raise chil-
iren.
There are many teen-
be girls in this country
no have little to no com
plication with their par
ks because of abusive
king situations. The lives
[these teenagers are hard
»ough, and making a doc-
lr send a letter telling the
kisive parents that their
Lighter wants an abortion
kid very likely result in
violent reaction from the
rents.
[Currently, Oregon law
lows teenagers ages 15 to
Ito go to the doctor with
111 confidentiality. The
tason for this is because,
Lording to the state of
Oregon, 15 year olds are
considered old enough to
be able to receive medi
cal attention privately.
This confidentiality would
become non-existent, in
terms of teenage girls get
ting abortions, if Measure
43 passes.
One of the major issues
with Measure 43 is the
fact that it doesn’t contain
exceptions for rape and
incest. Supporters of the
law will try and say that
it does because the law
would allow for a teenage
girl to go to court and plead
to the judge to allow her to
get an abortion. This really
doesn’t solve any
thing. Going . to
court takes time
and
money,
and
with
pregnancy,
every min
ute counts.
Furthermore,
as
the
Oregonian
said in their
editorial against
Measure
43,
nobody
should
have to beg their
government
fo
health care.
Another
problem
with Measure 43 is its harsh
penalties towards doctors if
latt Olson
Ä Clackamas Print
Opinions and beliefs are
iiversal, and you will never find
i unbiased teacher. The struggle
it students have is to keep their
ijectivity. Ignoring off-handed
marks aboutpolitics, controversial
sues, or even sports teams is often
fficult.
Some teachers use this conflict
la tool to spark debate and inspire
age in their students. Sometimes
s just annoying. Personally, I
ink that biased teachers are a
kble-edged sword that both
mens and hurts their students.
bit opinions can be inappropriate
[the class, and in some instances
«1 this has affected my education
kre than I like to admit.
On the one hand, we have a
blastic environment designed
[fiee thought, which is nurtured
k the teachers and staff. On
K other, it is designed to
[orm students about the world,
Ifflselves and their peers. The
met is within the overlap. An
ten discussion can often be turned
w an indoctrination, just as biased
pestions in a political debate make
p side seem more accurate than
lhe
Clackamas Print
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I Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 657-6958 ex. 2309
The Clackamas Print is a weekly
student publication and is
distributed every Wednesday except
finals week.
they don’t send the par
ents the letter of notifica
tion within 48 hours. If for
some reason they don’t
send it within the allotted
time, they will probably
get their license revoked
and more than likely sued
by the parents. Doctors
are very busy people, and
Measure 43 just gives them
more red tape and grief to
deal with.
Measure 43 is a point
less, flawed bill that would
solve nothing. Everyone
should vote NO on 43 this
November.
the other.
I once took a college writing
class where we discussed short
stories. One particular piece was an
explicit story about a homosexual
encounter. The story was obviously
written to inspire a debate, but, as
the class exchanged opinions, it was
also obvious that the teacher was
directing the arguments towards
one standpoint.
Being stewards of learning,
teachers hold a lot of sway over
their students. This responsibility
is understandably daunting, but the
fact remains that students are being
influenced.
Is this my problem, or theirs? Is
it the responsibility of the teacher to
restrain his or her self, or should the
students guard against this and take
their education with a grain of salt?
The problem is not well-defined,
and is often ignored.
One of my good friends from
high school is now attending a
Christian collège to get his film
degree. Every time he comes
back to town, he is more and more
adamant about certain indiscretions
in the film industry. He has learned
to watch movies for their structure,
but also passes stronger judgments
on movies, often based on the ethics
presented in the film
Teenage girls aren't ready
to tackle abortion alone
Elizabeth Hitz
The Clackamas Print
Fifteen. That is the cur
rent age young women are
allowed to get an abortion
without contacting their
parents.
Do you remember what
you were like at fifteen?
How often confusing the
world seemed, and how
often your judgment
reflected the immaturity
of teenhood?
Teenagers, especially
girls, need guidance, but
more than that, they need
support and
Students
need to keep
their heads about
them
while
learning. What
they learn might
affect both their
intellectual and
moral growth.
Though
it
seems
insignificant J
during
high
school,
there
was a lot of
good-natured
competition
between Beaver
and Duck fans
among
the
faculty. Beaver
flags hung from
the walls in the
math department
faculty room, the
security office
had a big “O” on the window, and
when the Civil War rolled around,
there was a lot of boasting and
joking about the opposing team.
Personal fandom among my
teachers affected how I learned.
I thought that the OSU alumni
and fans were thoroughly wrong.
My UO loyalty bled through and
C o -E ditors - in -C hief : Sam Krause,
A d M anager : Elizabeth Hitz
their parents when faced
with a life-changing deci
sion.
Make no mistake,
abortion is life-changing.
In a study on post-abor
tion stress conducted by
Dr. Anne Speckhard at the
University of Minnesota,
Speckhard found that,
“after five to 10 years, 54
percent of mothers choos
ing abortion had night
mares, 81 percent had
preoccupation with their
aborted child, 35 percent
had perceived visitations
with their child, and 96
percent felt they had taken
a human life.”
Abortion is not
only
life
changing, but
it can also
be
life
end i n g .
Possible
complica
tions
of
the pro-
c e d u r e
include
infection,
hemor
rhaging
and uterine
perforation,
all of which are
common causes
of death in abortion
patients. And accord
Photo illustrations by Adam J. Manley Clackamas Print
affected my perspective of the
teachers.
During my tenure as a student,
I often recognize these periods of
indoctrination and strive to consider
all sides of any issue. A biased
teacher can affect a person’s career,
public opinion, and sometimes
even laws and policy. The duality
P hotographers : Juno Dean
Katie Wilson
C opy E ditor : Colleen Watkins
N ews E ditor : Megan Koler
C ommentary E ditor : Tayo Stalnaker
F eature E ditor : Laura Cameron
S ports C o -E pttors : Nicholas Delzell,
Mike Guidice
A&E E ditor : Matt Olson
P hoto E ditor : Adam J. Manley
ing to Dr. Speckhard,
“Females between the
ages of 15 and 19 have
the highest rate of STD’s
in any age group, male or
female.”
Measure 43 would
require that any girl under
18 give 48-hour writ
ten notice to her parents
before getting an abor
tion.
There is even a bypass
for victims of rape or incest
written into the measure.
A private hearing must be
set up with an administra
tive judge, to which the
judge must respond within
10 days. This safeguard
would allow abuse vic
tims to speak up.
Oregon is one of only
six states that does not
have some sort of law
regarding parental par
ticipation or notification
when it comes to under-
aged abortions.
In the end, it comes
down to a few simple
questions. Would you
want your daughter hav
ing an abortion without
your knowledge or con
sent? What if she were
to become depressed or
suicidal, and you didn’t
know why?
What if it was your
daughter?
S taff W riters : Justin Goe, Danny D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt
Helus, Frank Jordan, Andrea
Simpson, Jeff Sorensen, David
Stark, Liz Travers, Alexandria
Vallelunga
P roduction A ssistants : Rachel
Gillette, Andrew Green, Genyva
Laubach
of education is tough to cope with
on both fronts, but I believe that
this sway professors have is being
misused.
Remember that there is never
a bad question. If you want to
challenge what you learn, do so.
Hear what the teacher is telling you,
and form an opinion of your own.
G oals : The Clackamas 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.
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