damn i'm proud to be PRO-CHOICE
Brian Noonan’s April 27 piece on Kerry and abortion policy is woefully short of both fact and truth regarding the responsibilities of Catholic politicians towards policy, Kerry’s positions, and the realities of contraception and abortion in our nation today. First, to those who believe that Kerry’s pro-choice beliefs should make him ineligible for the Eucharist, I would ask that you remember that Tom Ridge, George Pataki, and Mario Cuomo are all Catholic, pro-choice politicians. Mario Cuomo in particular delivered a spectacular address on the very issue of Catholic teaching and political policy to our own University in 1984 that I would encourage you all to read (available online at pewforum.org). Also, what of the Catholic politicians that endorse the death penalty, the active killing of living, sentient human beings? Or those who endorsed an unjust war, or those who actively promote economic injustice, all uncharacteristic of Catholic values? Kerry is a devout Catholic who is following his conscience, and letting the reality of the situation dictate his public policy towards controversial issues.
Mr. Noonan also suggests that Planned Parenthood is actively working to promote eugenics in poor, African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods. He cites a radio ad campaign as proof. As a law student, Mr. Noonan should know that you need more than two unrelated facts to produce intent. There are several other more plausible explanations for PP's activities, the best of which is that African-Americans have the less access to abortion than other ethnicities and have higher than average rates of teen pregnancy and poverty. Also, the International Planned Parenthood Federation is far from an “abortion clinic boat” but rather an organization that has actively helped reduce the birthrate of 6 children per woman in third-world nations, allowing them to compete with men for power in their societies and making them more than baby factories. Global feminist issues such as this are much more complicated than Mr. Noonan makes them out to be. Abortions in nations such as China and India are more the result of ingrained patriarchal practices rather than a woman’s free choice - they are used in a controlling and domineering way, unlike the United States. In particular, China’s one-child policy has created much turmoil for the women there. However, when I searched LexisNexis for instances where John Kerry had spoken of this policy, I could not find one.
I do agree with Mr. Noonan when he speaks of a need to “empower women who want to keep their children by devoting our resources to providing the emotional, economic and social support they need.” However, the Republican Party has a horrid record of supporting these needs in Congress and in Presidential administrations. In particular, Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has proposed legislation every congress since 1997 that would require insurance companies to cover birth control for contraceptive purposes, something that would decrease the abortion rate dramatically in this country. However, the legislation never makes it out of committee, and yet we see drugs like Viagra and Cialis widely available and covered by health insurance. There is much room for discussion on issues such as these, and deceptive editorials such as Mr. Noonan’s do a disservice to the dialogue necessary to promote wellness for all women.
the original can be found here. i found it ironic that he called the largest march in history a "small pro-abortion rally" but i didn't mention that in my rebuttal. oh well. let me know what you think, if you had the patience to read all this.
Mr. Noonan also suggests that Planned Parenthood is actively working to promote eugenics in poor, African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods. He cites a radio ad campaign as proof. As a law student, Mr. Noonan should know that you need more than two unrelated facts to produce intent. There are several other more plausible explanations for PP's activities, the best of which is that African-Americans have the less access to abortion than other ethnicities and have higher than average rates of teen pregnancy and poverty. Also, the International Planned Parenthood Federation is far from an “abortion clinic boat” but rather an organization that has actively helped reduce the birthrate of 6 children per woman in third-world nations, allowing them to compete with men for power in their societies and making them more than baby factories. Global feminist issues such as this are much more complicated than Mr. Noonan makes them out to be. Abortions in nations such as China and India are more the result of ingrained patriarchal practices rather than a woman’s free choice - they are used in a controlling and domineering way, unlike the United States. In particular, China’s one-child policy has created much turmoil for the women there. However, when I searched LexisNexis for instances where John Kerry had spoken of this policy, I could not find one.
I do agree with Mr. Noonan when he speaks of a need to “empower women who want to keep their children by devoting our resources to providing the emotional, economic and social support they need.” However, the Republican Party has a horrid record of supporting these needs in Congress and in Presidential administrations. In particular, Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has proposed legislation every congress since 1997 that would require insurance companies to cover birth control for contraceptive purposes, something that would decrease the abortion rate dramatically in this country. However, the legislation never makes it out of committee, and yet we see drugs like Viagra and Cialis widely available and covered by health insurance. There is much room for discussion on issues such as these, and deceptive editorials such as Mr. Noonan’s do a disservice to the dialogue necessary to promote wellness for all women.
the original can be found here. i found it ironic that he called the largest march in history a "small pro-abortion rally" but i didn't mention that in my rebuttal. oh well. let me know what you think, if you had the patience to read all this.