I am sure The Post has already received numerous e-mails in disgusted response to a Between the Lines printed on Feb. 1, titled 32 years later
abortion still dead wrong. As I sat reading the Between the Lines, I wondered how someone could use such blasphemy towards women. I am pro-choice.
Contrary to Vink's rhetoric, pro-choice does not mean pro-murder-of-innocent-helpless-humans. The pro-choice I believe in is the right to choose what happens in my own reproductive system, and I believe every woman deserves that same right. Seeing as Jarren Vink is a man, he will never experience the joys of unwanted pregnancy, worrying about what will happen if the condom breaks, wondering if the oral contraceptive he is taking is effective and choosing
abstinence to avoid pregnancy. I am a woman, and these are real issues facing women on a daily basis.
Vink used the words of the man who is occupying the White House, The strong have the duty to protect the weak. That is an interesting application of the quote, pertaining to abortion rights. In 2005 the Bush administration will spend $170 million on abstinence-only education programs, which promote abstinence from sexual activity without teaching basic facts about contraception. In addition, 80 percent of the abstinence-only curricula contains false, misleading or distorted information about reproductive health (www.democrats.reform.house.gov). So why are the strong, educated government officials trying to keep our children ignorant and weak?
I don't know if abstinence is the rage in Texas, but in the rest of America, teenagers are having sex, whether God likes it or not. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, each year 3 million teenagers acquire an STD, 1 million teenagers will become pregnant and in one-third of those cases, the pregnant mother will receive inadequate prenatal care. I do not see how the Bush administration can support banning abortion while failing to educate the youth of America about their sexual health and not providing adequate health care for expectant mothers. This is what I mean by personal responsibility.
While doing my research, I began to compare America's abortion rate to that of other countries. The Netherlands seemed like an interesting place because they have the lowest rates of teenage pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy and abortion in recent years (Jones et al., 1988; Ketting, 1994; Ketting & Visser, 1994; Singh & Darroch, 2000). In a country that has legal prostitution and allows marijuana use, the abortion rate is 4 times lower than it is in the United States. Only 6.5 out of every 1,000 pregnancies are aborted.
The AGI found that in the Netherlands, contraception and abortion are legal and accessible and both are covered by their national health insurance plan. The Dutch focus on public education, ethics, family planning and equipping youth with the knowledge they need to make responsible choices. Maybe we can learn something from the Dutch.
As an abortion rights advocate I do not want to see a rise in abortions; I want the opposite. I want proper sex education in the public schools, readily available birth control and condoms, and an administration that supports not only a woman's right to choose but also respects women's reproductive health.
Until President Bush leaves his religious convictions aside and confronts the real issue at hand, our children will continue to have sex, but will they have the knowledge to make responsible decisions regarding their health, sexuality and whether to have an abortion?
-Alaina Stahl is a junior public relations major. Send her an e-mail at alaina.stahl@ohiou.edu. 17
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