Battalion
Page 9
Thursday • March 6, 1997
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Morning-after pill' solidifies line of conception Adoption provides a satisfying solution
world already
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ience has be-
Lady Agg lome even more so
vith the Federal Drug
idministration’s ap-
iroval of emergency
:ontraception, better
mown as the “morning
ifter” pill, last Monday.
The pill’s approval is
musual because the
:ompanies which man-
jfacture birth control
aever requested its ap-
Columnist
Heather Pace
Sophomore
English major
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proval for use as emergency con
traception, fearing the massive
repercussions of litigation and
the ire of pro-life groups.
Although companies fear the
reverberations of emergency
contraception, the FDA’s an
nouncement is no more than an
official seal on what has been
going on for decades in the
United States.
As such, the FDA’s approval
should be used to help pro-life
and pro-choice groups come to
asettlement as to what consti
tutes life and where the line
should be drawn.
Recent bombings of abor
tion clinics and similar in
stances constitute right-wing
ideocracyat its best, represent-
a movement which has lost
any semblance of the order it
once maintained.
No matter what one’s per
sonal views may be, the abor
tion question is minor in com
parison to other issues which
impact the lives of those al
ready living.
The approval of emergency
contraception simply serves to
announce publicly what many
women do not realize is available.
Although emergency contra
ception is used regularly in
/ emergency rooms and repro
ductive health clinics, it is rarely
utilized in private practices be
cause doctors know little about
its usage.
As more individuals become
educated, the issue of abortion
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hopefully will fade
into the distance as
women begin to take
advantage of emer
gency contraception
to prevent pregnancy.
Because emergency
contraception is noth
ing more than high
doses of birth control,
the process is easy
and affordable.
Women simply take
two to four birth con
trol pills up to 72
hours after sex, followed by the
same dose exactly 12 hours later.
A survey conducted by the
Kaiser Family Foundation
showed an estimated 225,000
American women have used
emergency contraception.
Likewise, a newly-established
hot line received over 25,000
calls within five months of its
inception. The hot line was es
tablished to inform women
about the process and familiar
ize them with the providers of
emergency contraception.
As of yet, no specific prod
ucts have been approved and
labeled, although emergency
contraception has been used
extensively for two decades.
Although the use of emer
gency contraception might raise
a furor, it has been quieter than
its distant relative RU-486.
While emergency contraception
simply prevents a fertilized egg
from implanting in the uterus,
RU-486 is an abortion pill which
expels an already-growing em
bryo from the uterus.
The difference between the
pills is precisely what should
serve as the point of compro
mise between pro-lifers and
pro-choicers. Because emer
gency contraceptive pills are
not effective if a woman is al
ready pregnant, they easily es
tablish what has been so diffi
cult to pinpoint — the
beginning of life.
After conducting extensive
research, Dr. James Trussed of
Princeton University con
vinced the FDA that emer
gency contraception possibly
could prevent almost 2 million
pregnancies each year that
would otherwise end in abor
tion. If nothing else, this
should partly ease the cries of
ardent pro-lifers.
For those who aren’t responsible
enough to plan, emergency
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lire Battalion Classified Ads are
filled with some interesting re
quests. Job opportunities and
medical research studies abound, but
few ads are more intriguing than re
quests for babies.
Recently, couples have been ad
vertising their desire to be adoptive
parents around Texas A&M Universi
ty. These couples offer a legitimate so
lution for unwanted pregnancies on
campus. By opening up their
contraception is an easy
way out.
While there is no substitute
for personal responsibility, emer
gency contraception provides an
alternative to abortion that
should not be overlooked.
homes, adoptive parents
combat the dual tragedies of abortion
and parents who are ill-prepared to
raise children.
An unwanted pregnancy is one of
the most frightening situations a stu
dent can encounter. Unfortunately,
individuals faced with an
unwanted pregnancy
they sometimes take
desperate measures.
In 1994, Stephanie
Moore was convicted of
throwing her newborn
child down a garbage
chute in Mosher hall.
According to Texas Vi
tal Statistics, there were
540 abortions in Brazos
County in 1995,283 per
formed on women be
tween the ages of 20 and
24, an age group corresponding to
college-aged women.
A satisfying but often over
looked option to unwanted preg
nancies is adoption. Katy Steinert-
Threlkeld, vice president of Public
Information for the Gladney Cen
ter, a licensed adoption agency lo
cated in Fort Worth, said there are
more couples wanting to adopt
than babies available.
“There are about 1.1 million un
planned pregnancies in the U.S. per
year,” she said. “Only about 2 percent
[of mothers] will place their child with
adoptive parents.”
The saddest legacy of this statistic
is there are many couples who des
perately desire to adopt a child, but
won’t get the chance.
The couples who have been adver
tising in The Battalion are working
through a licensed adoption agency,
using an adoption method called
“open adoption.”
In “open adoption,” birth parents
communicate with adopting par
ents. Throughout the adoption
process, the needs and wishes of the
birth parents are paramount. After
the adoption, the birth parents can
elect to remain in contact with the
child and the adoptive family. This
open-style adoption benefits the
natural parents by allowing them to
choose the family with which they
place their baby. Because of the em
phasis on the birth parents through
out the adoption process, adoption
agencies offer free counseling during
and after the pregnancy.
Amy and George are just one cou
ple working with the Gladney Center.
They have been advertising in The
Battalion for about a month. Amy
John Lemon
engineering
graduate student
said “open adoption” ben
efits both the natural par
ents and the child.
“It’s better for it (the
adoption) to be open be
cause they (the children)
don’t spend their teenage
years worrying who their
parents are,” she said.
Lucy and John are an
other couple in contact
with the Gladney Center.
Lucy said working with a
licensed agency protects
the natural parents.
“I would say if anyone is consid
ering adoption, make sure they
work with someone experienced
with adoption and get counseling,”
she said. _,*
In her quest to adopt, Lucy said
she believes she and her husband will
provide a stable home for children.
“One of the things John and I
have to offer is a real strong mar
riage,” said Lucy. “We’re committed
for a lifetime.”
Perhaps the greatest fear of any
one considering giving up a baby is
whether the right decision is being
made. Prospective adoptive couples
who work with an agency are thor
oughly examined before being ac
cepted into the adoption program.
This process ensures prospective cou
ples are suitable parents.
Pregnancy should be a positive
experience, not a tragedy. Students
trapped in an unwanted pregnancy
are not limited to the quick fix of
abortion or the long haul of raising
the child themselves.
By advertising to adopt at A&M, a
solution is created which benefits a
child in need of a home, birth parents
who cannot handle the responsibility
of child rearing and individuals look
ing to adopt. Through “open adop
tion,” students who might not be
ready to become parents can ensure
a secure future for their children.
The war against abortion will
not be won by bombings or death
threats. It will be won by mothers
who have the courage to consider
the best interests of their children
and families who have the gen
erosity to accept those children
into their homes.
Militant feminism stifles free thinking more than sexism
I n an age where the dignity of
the individual is cherished
above all else, many Ameri
can women are being misrepre
sented by an insulting, mono
lithic feminist movement.
As radical female activists rally
for extreme causes, they neglect
to tell new recruits that member
ship in the sisterhood comes with
a price—ideological conformity.
Nothing illustrates this my
opic vision like the rabid de
fense and promotion of abor
tion on demand.
No matter what side of the abortion argu
ment one favors, there’s tremendous insight
to be gained by examining the stances of
such prominent feminists groups as the Na
tional Organization for Women. There’s also
an important question to be answered: Can a
person who is pro-life also be a feminist?
The answer should be “yes,” but the rul-
Columnist
Jeremy Valdez
Senior
engineering major
ing class of feminism is trying to
make the two terms incompatible.
In the cut-and-dried view of
modern American feminism,
it’s not enough for women to
have access to one of the more
than 1.5 million surgical abor
tions each year, nor would it be
right to require teenage girls to
consult parents or other re
sponsible adults before getting
an abortion.
Should people support RU-
486? If they’re feminists, the
answer is “yes.” But because
one controversial abortion drug might
not be enough to guarantee “women’s
health,” activists also lobbied the FDA to
advertise “morning-after” pills, which al
most any woman can now use to induce
a miscarriage.
Still, the party lines of the feminist move
ment extend far beyond reproductive issues.
For instance, all women should cam
paign for the right to lesbian marriages.
And no feminist could have any doubts
about the credibility of Anita Hill’s accusa
tions against Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas.
Who would have thought “liberated”
women would be compelled to think in such
ways about so many controversial issues?
The women at the forefront of the femi
nist movement seem to be saying, “Don’t let
the patriarchy tell you what to believe when
we can tell you so much better.”
Kelly Smith, a member of the Texas A&M
chapter of NOW, disagrees.
“There is definitely a place for people
who don’t agree with our position on
every issue. We’re not all about abortion.”
Smith said.
But Smith said that being pro-choice is
an essential activity of NOW.
“You need as many groups as possi
ble backing up our right to have an
abortion.” Smith said.
Abortion freedoms and lesbian rights
have more in common than just the sup
port of the feminist movement; they also
are both causes which have both strong
and convincing arguments. They also have
special interest groups outside of the femi
nist sphere to champion the issues.
Agenda-setting feminist groups like
NOW would do well to focus their consider
able political power on issues everyone can
agree on, such as equal pay for equal work,
the advancement of women’s medicine and
an end to violence against women.
Pro-choice organizations such as the
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Action League and numerous gay and les
bian groups are more than ready to fight
their own battles.
Certainly no one would be surprised to
see the more controversial groups share
members with groups like NOW. But the
current attitude that says all feminists think
alike on issues of life and morality is not
just wrong, it’s insulting.
In all fairness, feminism isn’t the only
good idea being overrun by extremists. It’s
just another example of the polarization of
American society, so well illustrated by the
assault weapon-toting nuts of the National
Rifle Association or even the shock artists of
Operation Rescue.
Though one would never hear them ad
mit it, many conventional feminists have a
lot in common with these redneck men and
clinic-clogging protesters.
The foremothers of American feminism
were strong, free-thinking women who set <
out to change the status quo. Leaders like *!
Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Sanger
sought to erase injustices and put men and 1
women on equal social footing.
But the movements they gave birth to
have strayed onto a narrow, restrictive path *
many people do not wish to follow.
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Mail
Yell leader’s earn
respect, not blame
In response to Mason Jackson’s
column “Out-dated-traditions
in need of evaluation.”
I am completely appalled
Jackson could even incorporate
the yell-leader tradition. First of
all, the Citadel incident with
women and Shannon Faulkner
was based on sexual discrimi
nation; however, the method
and manner in which Faulkner
approached the issue com
pletely blasted women and
their struggle for equality. Sec
ondly, Jackson’s column was
against “sexism,” yet he wants
“bouncy” women in “skirts” to
boost the “testosterone levels”
of our football players? If you
think perky, bouncy cheerlead
ers are the solution to A&M’s
football woes, maybe we did
not attend the same football
games this year.
As Jackson well pointed out,
A&M recruits some of the finest
athletes for our football pro
gram. If most of the payers con
centrated on the games, then
they would not need to “look to
the sidelines for added assis
tance from cheerleaders.” If
most of the players and coaches
focus on the game at hand, then
they would not need cheerlead
ers. It may just be that Jackson
enjoys the appeal that cheer
leaders bring with their “skirts.”
As for me, and most of the stu
dent body who are proud of our
traditions, yell-leaders do a fine
job leading the 12th Man to
support the Texas Aggie Foot
ball team. The purpose of yell-
leaders is to keep the crowd
rooting for our team. This is one
tradition that I hope will not be
challenged because the yell-
leaders do their job sufficiently
and effectively.
Christi N. Rohan
Class of ’98
Accompanied by 4 signatures
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