Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2002)
news; ITALICS DC, Ion. D.C. DB. j «s.ES« *p Dems of tt» Jcidedtoiw inguage iti: it.” shooting m t io.se thatbii people m Washingtoii inia. ids net nostly de\# z is the mos han 150 nil imes Agaiifi Jniversit) d iges 10 to I! Dns over liter of thea afety exper. arning if they p.^ lething," inswers is answer." s Opinion The Battalion Page 9 • Wednesday, October 23, Intimidation is a poor motivator Coalition for Life’s threatened boycott damaged the organization’s cause RICHARD BRAY D espite the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life’s recent attempts. Planned Parenthood has become stronger following the success of a major fund-raiser. Ironically, the fund raiser would not have been nearly as successful without the efforts of Coalition for Life Executive Director David Bereit. Bereit issued a letter to 15 Planned Parenthood supporters informing them that if they did not renounce their support of the clinic, their names would be published and a boycott would be organized against their businesses, according to The Eagle. Rather than ruining the Bourbon Street Bash, a major fund-rais er for Planned Parenthood, this action made the fund-raiser more successful. In the week following the boycott threat, Planned Parenthood officials reported $7,000 in donations and expected to raise “way over” $40,000 at the Bourbon Street Bash. An estimated 300 supporters attended the fund-raiser, according to The Eagle. Although the Coalition for Life is entirely within its rights to boy cott, threats are not the method for chang ing people’s minds about abor tion. By challenging the livelihoods of those who think differently, the Coalition for Life forced Planned Parenthood supporters to respond with an equally powerful message, which they did. Intimidation tactics often result in a potent response, and that is exactly what hap pened in this instance. The coalition’s attempt to frighten Planned Parenthood sup porters into withdrawing support from the organization reeks of desperation. The organization’s credibility is continually threat ened by association with the actions of anti-abortion individuals who take matters into their own hands by sending anonymous mailings to Planned Parenthood supporters. Despite Bereit’s repeated condemnation of such tactics, the Coalition for Life is still associated with such activities. When abortion rights activists and the general public associ ate the coalition with such tactics, the threat of a boycott appears less like an honorable method that has had a historic place in American society and more like an attempt to bully the coalition’s opponents into submission. In using such a threatening tactic in an attempt to stop abor tions, Bereit allowed the Coalition for Life to sink to the depths of those who send anonymous letters to Planned Parenthood supporters. In the past, the organization has done its best to limit protests to peaceful prayer, but by attempting to intimidate Brazos Valley residents through the threat of a boycott, the coalition has embarked on an entirely new method that only serves to damage their interests in public opinion and financial strength. The Coalition for Life made a strategic mistake. However, the organization can redeem itself by abandoning a poor strategy and moving on to other methods of achieving its goals. Bereit told The Eagle that the names of Planned Parenthood’s financial supporters would be published at www.clinicfacts.com, but as of Tuesday afternoon the site was still under construc tion. It is in the coalition’s best interest that the names remain unpublished. To do otherwise only inhibits the success of its goals. Richard Bray is a senior journalism major. JON FULLRICH • THE BATTALION FDA committee candidate is not worthy Doctor’s religious views make him a poor choice to head women’s health committee T he Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee has not met in two years and is currently with out any members. The FDA's sen ior associate commissioner, Linda Arey Skladany, has rejected doctors proposed by other FDA staffers to head the committee and is pushing one of her own: Dr. W. David Hager, according to Time magazine. Hager, an obstetrician-gynecologist and part- tirne professor at the University of Kentucky, is the wrong person for the job. The health committee will have to address whether or not hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is safe. A report released in July outlined nsks posed to women taking hormone replace ment therapy after menopause, which left mil lions of women concerned for their health. According to Time, some conservatives are try- ln g to take advantage of these HRT fears to dis credit contraceptives, which contain similar chemicals. Although Hager is not “against med ication,” he is not a defender of women’s access t0 birth control. According to the Boston Globe, Hager has condemned contraceptive use, saying it is a JENELLE WILSON “convenient way for young people to be sexually active outside of marriage,” which he considers to be a sin. He will only prescribe them if a single woman rejects his “advice” to abstain, according to The New York Times. Women have every right to enjoy sex without the constant fear of pregnancy. While doctors have a responsibility to warn women of conse quences, they do not have the right to lecture and shame women for actions that are contrary to their religious beliefs. A doctor who openly does this should not be chair to the committee that determines women's health policy. In August, Concerned Women for America, the Christian Medical Association (CMA), and the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists asked Dr. Hager, a CMA member, to assist them with a 90-page petition calling for the FDA to revoke its approval of RU-486, commonly known as the abortion pill, due to adverse effects experi enced by women who use the drugs. In his press statement, available on the Christian Medical Dental Association’s Web site, Hager cited the “risks to women and potentially to their unborn babies” as reason for the FDA to revoke RU-486 distribution. The petition accuses the FDA of cutting corners during the four years it spent reviewing Mifeprex before its approval. The adverse effects mentioned in the peti tion include ruptured ectopic pregnancies, bac terial infections and heart attacks. The FDA sent letters out in May addressing these effects, according to the Washington Post. The letters, which are not uncommon for new drugs, stressed for doctors to follow the Mifeprex guidelines and stated that no causal relation ship was found between the adverse effects and the abortion pill. Mifeprex has been safely used for more than a decade in Europe, and of 12,700 medical abortions performed in one year, no major complications occurred. Currently, studies are being conducted on RU-486 to see how effective it would be in treating ailments such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, psychotic depres sion, bipolar disorder and Cushing’s syndrome. If the health committee is to review the approval of Mifeprex again, despite its safe track record, it must be done fairly and without bias. That cannot be done with Hager - who is already calling for the approval to be revoked — as the chairman. Hager’s professional views are directly influ enced by his religious beliefs, which is inappro priate in a secular society. He prescribes prayer and recommends Biblical passages to cure ail ments such as headaches, eating disorders, postpartum depression and premenstrual syn drome (PMS). According to The New York Times, for PMS he recommends Romans 5:1- 11- that "tribulation worketh patience." Hager supporters, such as CMDA, are upset with the press coverage he is receiving. They say he is being persecuted for his Christian beliefs, but religious beliefs are not why he is being criticized. He’s being criticized because those religious beliefs directly affect his work in a negative manner. The chairman of the women’s health com mittee must separate his religious beliefs from issues the committee will be reviewing. Hager already has his mind made up on RU-486 despite the safe track record the pills have, and he condemns the use of birth control pills by single women. He is a bad candidate to lead a committee that will make health choices for all women. Jenelle Wilson is a junior political science major. Web site owner must learn responsibility LAUREL FRANCK I n Africa, tens of millions of People are suffering and dying of starvation and the AIDS epV eniic. Across the world, countless imal and plant species are h L 0rn ' n § OHdangered or extinct as ltats disappear. Scientists are desperately searching for treat- A, ei y s . an H cures for devastating illnesses such as cancel and •zneimer's disease. In the United States, thousands of citizens J, e 0Ir *cless and poverty-stricken. Organizations such as the °r d Wildlife Fund and the National Cancer Society are moie a n worthy for donations and are in urgent need ol them. And then .there's Karyn Brosnak, founder of the savekai-yn.com Web site. tv ft S * te ex Pf a i ns ’ “You are not giving your money to a chan- ;’ bU i rather a chick who spent too much money.” Bosnak n ° r< ^ ln § to information posted on her site, is a 29-year-old c ucer who lives in Brooklyn. Several months ago she lounc lrm Se ^ ° Ut a j 0 ^ and more than $20,000 in debt due to tnvo- Us credit card expenditures. “Over the last few years I ve run P quite a credit card bill ... let me tell you! $20,221.40 to be 0v „ Ct ' Maybe it was too many morning lattes that pushed me wL heed 8 e -Who knows!” w ho knows? Maybe Karyn herself should, since she was the one who spent the money. But she is apparently still in denial and refusing to take responsibility for her thoughtless shopping sprees. Amazingly, more than 2,000 people have donated money to this outrageous, self-centered cause — more than $12,500 had come in as of Oct. 14, 2002, according to the Web site. There are several troubling aspects to this story, the most important being that people should be donating funds to causes much more important than Karyn's credit card debt — causes that would help Americans, the environment and people around the world. Considering Bosnak got herself into this mess, she alone should be the one who literally pays the price. She was the one who, “bought $400 haircuts, Gucci purses and Prada shoes,” as People magazine reported. Granted, Bosnak has been making monthly payments partially out of her own pocket, but unless she solves this problem on her own, she will learn nothing from this experience and will not change her frivolous lifestyle. One of the most frequently asked questions on her Web site is, “Why don’t you consolidate your debt and buy a book on finance?” Karyn's reply is, “I've read a book about how to organize my finances, but all it did was make me realize how much I screwed up and how behind I am on saving for my future. It depressed me.” This immature and irresponsible attitude is exactly what got her into debt, and whethep Bosnak realizes it or not, she needs a wake-up call. Ben Larson, co-creator of the Web site dontsavekaryn.com, ridicules Karyn's site, arguing that those who donate to it are wasting their money and sympathy, and that she needs to start living within her means. On his Web site, Larson sums up Karyn’s pathetic state: “She has no concept of fiscal responsibility.” It is frustrating to see someone who has wasted a huge amount of money on trivial things but will not take responsibili ty for her own stupid decisions. Her thoughtlessness and self- absorbed attitude are astonishing because many students are struggling to juggle part-time jobs with classes just to cover the basics, such as books and rent. Many are a lot younger than Karyn, but years ahead of her in financial responsibility. “I just couldn't stop buying things,” is Karyn's only explanation for the enormous debt she managed to rack up over the past few years. Well, here is the perfect solution: stop thinking only of your self, live within your means, and don't go shopping. Take responsi bility for your decisions and finances. It’s as simple as that. Laurel Franck is a junior English major.
