Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

I
flap 6, Tht LowtU.'April 12. 191}
POLITICS
r
A woman's right ^
to choose -
a moral dilemma?
By Era FesU
' lion came up. The class had just read a poem by Oliver Goldsmith,
(1728-1774) who claimed (list the only alternative fora woman who "stoops
to folly'* (or becomes pregnant) "...Is to die."
The learner put ;he qoesticn to the female members ct the class. Would
any ot them ever commit su*c=?" over an unwanted prcgnnicy) Ail replied.
"No." One particularly , v ot>oken classmate almost glitly replied, "No,
I would have an sbortir a."
Thb discussion put *i t topic of unwanted pregnancy in more of a ti
perspective in ray rood, and I realized that it was only 12 yean ago that
abortion was tyfj=rJ in the United States.
Twelve year* ^o my classmate might not have ipoken as easily about thb
option. In fact, ,1'b*. event of an unwanted pregnancy, she probably would
have had to sat rime all cducationa! and vocational plans (eight out of 10
uwage raxher.i b California do not return to high school after the child's
Wnh). pay an exwtiuat fee to have an abortion performed illegally, and risk
tier own life with / "back alley abortion."
"Naihanson 's statements are
misleading and medically
inaccurate."
As a result of the Supreme Court's decision in the ewe of Roe vs. Wade
in 1973, abortion b now legal and much safer. But despite the fact that
Congress and a majority of the American public support a woman's right
b choose, and 82 peircnioproKaeernpa to outlaw it, the "Pro-life" mote*
ment has continued to try to ban abortion by proprxingacoiatinmonxlBmcnd-
The newest tactic b the showing or • highly controversial film called Vie
Stlatt Scrtam. produced by Dr. Bernard Natbanson. fonner director or Nattaoal
Abortion Rights Action League (NARAU. who has om^awwbortion.
Thb fallacious film depicts an abortion being performed while Nathanson
narrates. He states that the fetus exprricjees pain and makes purposeful
movements to avoid that pain. *'We see the child's mouth open in a siltnt
aaeara." ne ststes with skiKftil rhetoric. *Thb b the suent scream of a child
thrcKowd imminently with, acunctioo." be addi.
According to a panel of medical experts who critiqued thb film. Nathanson's
t^ifTnts are misleading and medically inaccurate. A 12-week fetus
Us not fully developed the cerebral cortex or gray matter covering the brain,
where pain Impulses are perceived and cannot feel pain at thb stage of
Qcvdopcncitt.
Furthermore, all movement at this stage b reflexive, furposcrul move*
ment requires cognition, the ability to perceive and know, and thb too has
not yet beea developed in the fetus. Any movement b much like the withlnwal
response of an amoeba or one-celled organism.
Nathanson also has claimed that the fetus b viable. "Everybody is \iablcincludbg
every unborn child at any stafc of pregnancy. They're all viabK"
he claims.
Considering that a fetus has only rudiments of the organ syuern. is incapable
of conscious thought, cannot breathe independently, and U utterly
unable to sustain life on its own, scientifically speaking, a feus b hardly vuble.
President Ronald Reagan endorses thb propaganda-' Medical ictcncc docton
confirm that when the lives of the unborn are tnulfed out. they often
fed pain, pain that b long and agonizing... it has been said that if every
member of Congress could see that film, they would move quickly to end
the tragedy of abortion." be said recently. "1 pray they will."
/ pray that Congress b at least better informed than the President. I also
hope that meroben of Congress realize how rafair it b. in a pluralistic »ociery,
for one group to force moral and religious beliefs on another.
"Countries that have liberal attitudes
toward sex...have the lowest
rates of teen pregnancy."
Uorucally. many or the righwo-lifen appear to care abort the unborn feo»
until it bboV Voting records of most CongressjowJsupportenofihc' righttc-Ufe"
anwidment arc also oppo^d to welfare, child nutrition pro^raMs.
**»_*.»» ^._„ . «refuse to endorse and ardently oppose sex
t
i^tcwktoanrttheavafobufoofcau^
may lead to promiscuity.
A recent study by the Alan Guttmachcr Institute, however, revealed iut
V - other industrial countries that hive liberal attitudes toward sex, caiilv accessible
contraceptive services, and programs in sex education also have the
lowest rates of teen pregnancy.
We must keep in mind that the only 100 percent effective form of binn
control b abstinance. Contraceptives do fall, and options must remain open
so that every woman can make this personal decision affecting her own life,
Thb is a decisina to be made by the individual, not government. It b a personal
decision. Most importantly, let every child be a wanted child.
HAPPY
Switch at top Soviet seat_
has far-reaching effects
By Irene Lee
Mikhail Gorbachev was selected
in March 1985 by the ruling Politburo
as the new general secretary of
the Soviet Union.
At the time that Gorbachev
ascended to the motf powerful positioo
In &e Soviet Union, numbers
of the Kremlin were arguing over
detente. Hardliners like Chief of the
Gencni Staff Nikolai Ogarkov
bflicved that detente and arms
ugotiatioru with other nations
would always remain ineffectual.
Consequently, he was demoted.
The Soviet leaders clearly want to
keep foreign rclrkro cpeq. With
Gorbachev kcepins peace, they will
not back down easily from area* of
concern such as continuing Soviet
occupancy in Afghanistan and
demanding concsnioas from the
United States at thr Gmcva talks.
The past 25 years showed definite
downhill trends in Soviet life. The
•ic*th rate b up. Iciant mortality b
up, and male life expectancy has
dropped dramatically. Soviet men
are now expected to live to 62 yean,
down two yean from two decades
ago.
The Soviet economy is not doing
well. The gross natbnal product
lhows little growth sol Soviet
agriculture shows no growth at all.
A drop in the birth rate during the
second World War has brought nn a
shortage of labor.
The unctnploymcnt rate may be
more thai* three percent, a considerable
nunber of people out of
work for Ac sue cf the counr.y.
The Soviet Union is iteadily falling
behind the U.S.: its standard of living
is at 40 percent of the American
level.
Alcunoltun i* At a rate so high that •
the state will not even reveal the
percentage. It contributes to the loss
of Soviet productivity; the average
Soviet worker lotcs 13 days to illness
annually, compared with 4.6
davs that a worker loses in tlx U.S.
Murray Fcshbach. Georgetown
University economist and
demographer, who compiled 25
years of data on the Soviet Union
for the United States Bureau of the
Ccrous. stated. "They need major
management revision, incentive
systems, capital investment, tighter
discipline or labor and lighter
management rdhcrence to the plan.
They'll have to change the Staliniu
model, but how much they can or
will change seems unclear."
' If the Soviet leaden wish, they
could choose other communiit
systems like UKMC of Hungar) and
China.
But Soviet leaden are reluctant to
share those methods. Marshall I.
Goldman, the Wellcsley College
and Harvard University economist,
explained "They view themselves
as the guardians, the patriarchv of
the communist system as it's bten
spelled out in the Soviet Union. If
they abandoned their model, they
vould be following Chine"
The So\trt leaden do not wim a
decp-scaied change. Dcnab Ross of
the Berkeley-Stanford program said
they will tuvc to just make the
system ". . . work a little bit
better."
Gorbachev may be the key »Improving
the country. He b interested
in reform, and nothing in
hb actions suggests that he will
change tbe basic Soviet system. He
was selected precisely because he
would try not to change the system,
but hold it tojtther.
For the industries. Gorbachev
may insbt that factories and
businesses operate at profit. He may
also reward workers for diligent
effort.
Regarding the changes In
agriculture, he mainly wants to
organize farm workers into
brigades. Worken would h*v; to
contract with farm management for
tools and seed and would cam
rewards with diligent effort.
The bedget for reforming thr induurial
and agricultural ptvjims
require* a van turn of money. During
thii intermittent period tot the
Soviets, however, supplemental
money cannot be expected to co»ne
from a decrease in Soviet military
spending.
Gorbachev knows he cannot limit
himself to domestic affairs and will
have to guin his wn experience in
foreign affairs.
Seventy -live-ycar-old Foreign
Minuter Andrei Gromvkc. the current
Soviet authority on foreign
rel>* MI*, "ill inevitably depart
from ofT.v. caving Gorbachev to
select a new foreign-policy leader.
It is doubtful that Gorbachev will
change the current foreign policy of
parallel cooperation and competition
with the United States.
A few noun after former Soviet
President Chemeako's death, Presldent
Reagan hid tent Vke ?midcra
George Bush with a letter tuvainj
Gorbachev to an impromptu
summit.
Gorbachev b interested but hat
not made a decision.
Secretary of State George
Schultz. who returned from
Motcow to brief Reagan, said Gorbachev
was "energetic and
businesslike." but be «!» ccutiontd.
"It fs one thing to be
businesslike, but whetl-cr is arm
out you can do business b another
matter."'
Western goveromeot analyst*
who specialize in affairs of the
Soviet Union concur that GOTbachev.
like his mento:. Andropov.
was overinterpreted by tbe West as
beini "liberal." as a man who
would take steps to reconstruct the
Soviet system.
Gorbachev's style b reflective of
a new Soviet generation. Hb dark
American-cut itia show roodcrnism.
ability to look at situatiocs in
fresher perspective than the ciierty
hard-linen of the Politburo.
TV-i new «y»e may mislead
Westerners into thinking he is an
easy potHican to win ever. He b
not. Michael Heller, French
historian of the Soviet Union, said.
"Just because Gorbachev cracks
Jokes, and Mrs. Gorbachev b
' elegant and slim doesn't mean
totalitarianism has ceased to exist."
In discussion, he b relaxed but
assertive. Last December, during
defense talks with British Prime
Miniuer Margaret Thatcher, he said
with a laugh. "We ue not uUt>|
you u> get rid of whu you call your
deterrent — but just to count it in the
balance as you yourscl *fc. have askcd
u* *J. '
If younger candidates do eventually
fill the Politburo, the world
should siill not anticipate a radical
change in the Soviet system. The
new ruling members will be better
cJucated and be more flexible, certainly,
but they may use their
faculties to continue Uie Interests of
Marxist government. The West remains
hopeful of better relations,
but is still on guard.
Family farms facing extinction
ByC*riaNcwmeycr
Thomas Jefferson had a vision of
America as a land o" small, independent
fannen.
Today Congress a fighting over
the importance if that "family
farm" to American agriculture.
Unable to sbouMcr the del* and
othc* nigh costs of farming, many
small farnien are tailing.
The Rcag*n Administration, advocttc
ot the ftve market. pUtu to
drastically redvee the amount of
farm subsidies. But the Adjunutratioo
abo predicts that bcauK of
their size, family farms may DO* be
able to survive. The debts and
market flucnutiooi they will ac
forced to cadurc may send many of
them out of business.
The fanu.'/ farm idea popularized
by Jefferson »as dranuuically in*
nueoccd oy the K/vncstcad Act of
1862. which granted a plot of free
land to any qualified person willing
to fan* and cultivate it for five
yean. ihoutMcU of Americans, inclttiioj
many immigrarKk, took thrs
cvpoctuaity and eventually became
owners of land.
Since