Are we spending enough to promote abortion?

[ryan costa]

Some business took me to North Olmsted last week. so I stopped in Westlake and picked up their free paper.

There was a personal advice album using biblical metaphors to guide people in life. This one used an anecdote about David and Goliath: The Israelites had conquered the race of really-tall-guys, but refused to exterminate or genocide them. So David had to fight Goliath. David threw a rock at him and won.

Then there was an article about lobbying against Planned Parenthood programs because some of the funding results in Abortion programs.

I was born in Cleveland, and lived in Westlake for a few years when most of it was still farms and fields. Now I live in Cleveland. I can legitimately surmise that people mostly move to westlake and new suburbs to get away from most of other peoples' kids. Whether they are moving from Cleveland, or from a slightly older suburb. It is for many reasons, mostly coming down to property values and aggravation, if not real safety. It is hard to spend much time here without seeing many kids and young adults who are hurting property values. It is too late to abort them, but the least rich suburbanites could do is make it easier for them to have abortions instead of more dumbass kids. Rich folks can also take out ads encouraging vasectemies or tubal litigations and birth control injections. It is ok.

[Dustin James]

...I can legitimately surmise that people mostly move to westlake and new suburbs to get away from most of other peoples' kids.

Uh huh. That would be because there are no kids in Westlake and new suburbs. right? Seriously, I know you are trying to write with an Andy Rooney sort of subtext, but honestly the above premise doesn't even make sense. Now maybe if you were saying moving to over-fifty gated communities... that might make sense, but whole suburbs are not yet comprised of these demographics (you'd need to go to Florida for that).

Whether they are moving from Cleveland, or from a slightly older suburb. It is for many reasons, mostly coming down to property values and aggravation, if not real safety. It is hard to spend much time here without seeing many kids and young adults who are hurting property values.

They must be hanging out in the streets loitering, doing drugs and attacking people. Some town folk complain about this and tell the police to get out there and arrest the little vile mongrels. Other citizens take to the street and get involved at the street level trying to make a difference. It's harder work than complaining though.

It is too late to abort them, but the least rich suburbanites could do is make it easier for them to have abortions instead of more dumbass kids. Rich folks can also take out ads encouraging vasectemies or tubal litigations and birth control injections. It is ok.

Hmmm. It's too late to abort you too, so what? When one hears how good school systems are a big factor in housing/property values, it sort of disconnects when you advocate genocide. Yes, I suppose "rich people" would have the money to afford ads for birth control (although many of them did not get rich by being idiots). The abortion choice is common knowledge - but that's right, you are being sarcastic and pithy.

They also have the money to leave areas where people (and kids )-- are not valued. Seems like you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Sarcasm aside, it's your choice. I think there is still farm land in Ohio where you can really get away from it all... the urban stuff can obviously become stressful on you.

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[Justine Cooper]

I'll take a room full of kids over a room full of adults. I guess that is why I am going back to be a teacher and spend most of my time with kids instead of an office full of adults. I don't get the humor in your post Ryan and I usually really do.

[Stephen Eisel]

I'll take a room full of kids over a room full of adults. I guess that is why I am going back to be a teacher and spend most of my time with kids instead of an office full of adults. I don't get the humor in your post Ryan and I usually really do.

We finally agree on something!

[Justine Cooper]

I'll take a room full of kids over a room full of adults. I guess that is why I am going back to be a teacher and spend most of my time with kids instead of an office full of adults. I don't get the humor in your post Ryan and I usually really do.

We finally agree on something!

[ryan costa]

I just thought it was odd. The "pro-life" lobby usually rounds up voters to elect candidates more likely to get us into wars, subsidize suburbia, maximize the annual federal deficit, raid Social Security, and cut social services, and adopt race-to-the-bottom economic policies.

It certainly isn't funny. It is kind of terrifying or grotesque or absurd.

[Lynn Farris]

Ryan,

I understand both sides of the abortion debate and it is very difficult. Most everyone dreams of a world where every mother is healthy and every child is wanted and can be afforded.

I don't think Roe v. Wade is going to be overturned completely so the idea should be ways to work together to achieve the goals on which we all agree.

Prevention is key - whether it is teaching abstenance or birth control not getting pregnant when you don't want to be is critical. So is working with our girls about self esteem. I'm not suggesting this is the job of the schools - they are overburdened already with trying to teach the 3-R's so that our children can compete in a global economy.

Teenage girls that have goals and girls that are involved in sports are less likely to get pregnant than others.

But there will still be girls that get pregnant and don't want the baby - what do we need to do to reduce abortions?

One is national health care - the medical costs of having a baby particularily if there are complications are staggering and the medical costs of taking care of a baby/child is high as well.

Day care support. If we want single mothers to have babies, but for many the cost of working outside the home is little more than the cost of day care for the child. If the mother stays home which may make financial sense - then are we pushing her into a cycle of welfare dependancy?

Making it easy for pregant mothers to attend schools. Lakewood does seem to be doing a good job of this.

Make adoption easier and de-stimatize it. It seems to me that most people find that it is socially more acceptable to have an abortion than to put your child up for adoption.

It seems to me that we all have a lot of work to do to make this situation better. And in my humble opinion, time may be better spent instead of protesting at these Planned Parenthood clinics doing something constructive to help young girls in your community and especially helping mothers who are struggling to raise children on their own. They have made the decision that the people that are protesting want them to - they shouldn't forget about these girls - they should be helping them offer to babysit - offer to buy a pack of diapers from time to time.

The Planned Parenthood that is usually protested in RR doesn't even do abortions!

By the way - I was thrilled when in the Sojurner's debate one of the key right to lifers asked Hillary someone who is pro-choice how they could find common ground and work together - and I was inspired by the fact that both sides have lots of common ground to help reduce the number of abortions in this country.

[Justine Cooper]

I just thought it was odd. The "pro-life" lobby usually rounds up voters to elect candidates more likely to get us into wars, subsidize suburbia, maximize the annual federal deficit, raid Social Security, and cut social services, and adopt race-to-the-bottom economic policies.

It certainly isn't funny. It is kind of terrifying or grotesque or absurd.

Now this post I certainly agree with! It never made sense to me either!

Lynn,
Excellent post!!!!! Not only is abortion more socially accepted than adoption but so is keeping a baby at 14 when you can't even take care of yourself! That should just not be allowed in this country. If I had a child that young get pregnant, the choice would be adoption to me, or to someone else. We are still the parents of teens and letting them raise a child is ridiculous. It just almost never works and I see the results.They are not pretty or fair to the child. Unless that teen changes their whole life and realizes the partying stops for a long time and has family support, it just can't work. Too many want the cute little baby and still want to party and date all the time. They really need wake up calls of what parenting is. Instead of dolls going home for the weekend, send them to home with colicky infants and hyperactive toddlers!!!

[Stephen Eisel]

I just thought it was odd. The "pro-life" lobby usually rounds up voters to elect candidates more likely to get us into wars, subsidize suburbia, maximize the annual federal deficit, raid Social Security, and cut social services, and adopt race-to-the-bottom economic policies.

It certainly isn't funny. It is kind of terrifying or grotesque or absurd.

Are you counting WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War?