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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2004)
Opinion The Battalion ^ge 11 • Tuesday, March 9, 2004 Overturnins Roe v. Wade r. . ^ 5 ligation to overturn case continues, those hurt by abortion must speak out T hirty-one years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down an opinion on a case filed by Norma McCorvey, known as “Jane Roe,” which legalized abortions in all 50 states. Today, the former “Roe” of Roe v. Wade is diligently working to over turn her case, perhaps the most contro versial court case in American history. This controversy has shown Americans that those involved in the pro-life movement will never give up, and with these new developments, now is the time for those con cerned with the effects of abortion to fight the hardest. McCorvey has filed a Rule 60 motion that allows the original litigants in a court case to petition the court to change its ruling if relevant new facts are presented. In February, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to hear oral arguments on the case. LifeNews.com reported that once a three-judge panel was named, it was decided that oral arguments were unnecessary. Instead, the court will make its decision based upon the more than 5,000 pages of affidavits filed by more than 1,000 women who have been harmed by abor tion. Other women who have not spoken out yet should seize this opportunity today by visiting operationoutcry.org. There are two situations the court should take into account when considering whether to overturn Roe v. Wade. First, if one can prove that a fetus is a living human being and abortion takes the life of that being, then abortion is murder. Thus, the fetus should be protected by law, and abor tions should be illegal any time the fetus is human. Second, if abortion is emotionally or physically harmful to the mother, it should be illegal for the sake of protect ing the health and safety of the woman. Although, by virtue of free will, the woman can have an abortion despite any risks she might or might not know about, in the past, the government has banned harmful medical practices and drugs, such as Ephedra, to protect the welfare of Americans. If the government has the right to do this, it certainly has the right to bap abortion and should do so now. Organizations such as Crossing Over Ministries (formerly Roe No More Ministries) and Operation Outcry: Silent No More focus on the latter condition. On Saturday, Feb. 28, the Coalition for Life held a rally to protest Planned Parenthood national President Gloria Feldt's visit. One speaker at the rally was Molly White, Texas leader of Operation Outcry. White testified to the harm her two abortions caused in her own life. Besides the 23 years of pain, remorse and regret, the procedures damaged her cervix. This caused difficulty in delivering her living chil dren and also forced her to have an early hys terectomy. She said abortion inhibited her abili ty to be a mother and made bonding with her children difficult. White’s testimony is not unique. Americans and the courts, if they truly care about women’s health, should let their voices be heard and really listen. A few of the women's affidavits can be found on Operation Outcry’s Web site, opera- tionoutcry.org. The women testify that they were not fully informed about the abortion pro cedure, its effects and about fetal development. They also tell about how the abortion led to extreme emotional difficulties. Planned Parenthood, however, denies that this is a com mon effect of abortion. But when woman after woman is testifying to how it caused her depression, hurt her spiritually, hurt her physi cally and hurt her relationships with others, all of the studies and surveys do not matter. Post abortive women around the country are saying, “Abortion hurts women!” And if abortions are hurting women, then, for the well-being of women nationwide, abor tion should be banned. In her affidavit, Kelli from Kentucky says, “By having abortion legal, you are essentially stating that it is OK to take advantage of someone who is already vulnerable.” Roe v. Wade did more than legalize abortions: It endorsed them. The decision told women and men that, since abortion is legal, it is harm less. White, Kelli and thousands of other women know this is a lie. Although women who choose to give their children up for adoption often still experience some emotional difficulty, they have the com fort that their child was given a better opportu nity and the hope that one day they will meet again. The reunion process is almost always a great source of healing. This is something absent with abortion and, as a result, many post abortive women report feelings of emptiness and despair after their abortion. Sophomore psychology major Amy Reynolds, treasurer for Aggies for Life, said she believes that overturning Roe v. Wade is “long overdue.” “Not only have many unborn children died, but countless women and men have been banned, too.” The court must take the testimonies of Operation Outcry seriously and recognize the physical and emotional dangers of abortion. After that, there is no reason at all to refuse to overturn Roe v. Wade. Cody Sain is a junior philosoplry major. Graphic by Paul Wilson xtai a dm os, Aggies must answer the call of conservatism MAirCflll v at All |\ J lOOoi lVc 3d a irk Hamm, a law stu dent at the University of Colorado-Boulder, i s JasP rou( ily embraced a life Xprud lanyfind laden with shame. 3 Idin io longer camouflaged, ! ma( |i lamm has emerged from his sttoM ecessed life. He has come out fthe closet. 13$ In the process, Hamm has Stint ' scovere d a sense °f pride in isalternative lifestyle and has found At $) apport from others who once hid, but s, ai owwalk openly among society. This itfjf oldness is sweeping the nation, and lei nrest among an ever-growing minor- ke ; y is ensuing. Liberals, watch out a cos ftause the rumors are true: College ie es{ onservatism is on the upsurge, an im Hamm, according to the CU mews- ^ De aperjhe Campus Press, is one of iveral hundred students at CU who Ijnlj lokpart in “Coming Out Day,” an . jneiu i'ent sponsored by the College 3r i a (t; epublicans targeted at fostering con- ticaid native awareness and activism. The ghg ay was part of an entire month dedi- ^51 ited to exposing liberalism in acade- 0 g lia while providing a haven for a 0 s ni| Inority that often faces merciless trsecution on this notoriously left- [p i aning campus. Conservative Aggies lould take note. The event has triggered a small solution at the CU campus. It has iven many students courage to tpose hostility rooted in the profes- j u its and students. In a few weeks, )0 | S ese revolutionaries have overcome beral naysayers who would oppose lehei iem, guaranteeing a free-flow of jj of leas and freedom of speech — the ty embodiment of American institu-- r ||es#ns of higher learning, jgad! While this incident may seem 3fI1 of iconsequential to the average Agei nterican, it should inspire and even , S (jisl tply an obligation for the con- jglefl Jrned conservative at Texas A&M . |e*i ridence of an ideological revival ai nong students such as this compels on the part of conservative I Indents. J This movement could finally Ipairthe damages of a liberal sham filty of hoodwinking students. It’s 'Hie of liberalism that America can a ;ay #_ eaK' thank for convincing stu dents that liberal extremism is a vital college prerequisite, surpassed in importance maybe by only the SAT. However, thanks to headway made by some concerned activists such as those at CU, there is a force that poses a threat to liberalism’s com fortable existence. A recent study by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University sup ports this rightist movement. The results show that college conser vatism now threatens ideological parity with the left, falling short by only 3 percent, and that an over whelming 61 percent of collegians approve of President George W. Bush, which should translate into more student votes for him in November than for the excessively liberal Sen. John Kerry. Otherwise stated, the implications are overt. Conservatism is on the rise, and its members are becoming more vocal. But, even though this is good news for America, a pessimistic reality may still loom for Aggies. The trouble brewing in Aggieland is that conservatism appears to be drowning. Despite their significant majority here, conservatives have his torically hated boat-rocking. So, they allow themselves to be held under by the overpowering force of liberalism — and this force is certainly strong. It is propelled by support for a distorted diversity system, demands to normal ize an unnaturalness that would destroy the family and a general aura of animosity toward Christian morali ty. Liberal organizations such as the Faculty Committed to an Inclusive Campus and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Aggies have ridden the coattails of these tenants to fame, and their names have an all-too-famil- iar ring for most Aggies. A&M students can’t seem to escape this outspoken, impassioned and motivated minority. Memberships to these groups hardly saturate the stu dent population, and more students are turning to the right than ever before, but liberalism will still spread at A&M if the conservative movement doesn’t gamer outspokenness and motivation of its own. One group at A&M with gumption is the Young Conservatives of Texas YCT. Though the YCT’s actions can spur debate, no one can argue about whether or not its members have come out of the conservative closet. Theirs is the only organization on campus to assemble a perceptible counterattack against both gay mar riage, with its Traditional Values Week and affirmative action, with its Affirmative Action Bake Sale. Alone though, the courageous labors of the YCT cannot withstand strong sentiments of apathy in Aggieland. A select few can certainly make a difference — enter the rele vancy of the CU College Republicans — but on the nation’s fifth-largest campus, the indifference of a mass majority will quash the tiny movements of a select few when that apathy comes in a dosage 40,000-students strong. Lately, the compounding indifference has per mitted the University to develop a leftward lean so severe that it should give closet conservatives a feeling of claustrophobia. Like the liberal stigma attached to Colorado, A&M has a reputation, but it is by tradition the very antithesis of that of the Buffalo. If A&M wants to save yet another of its dying tradi tions, Aggie conservatives must rise to the occasion. Liberals have declaimed the cur tain call of conservatism for decades — its antiquated heyday passing with the Reagan administration, some say, if it indeed ever had one. However, College Station starves for some familiarity — a rightist encore. Conservatives must feed the need, but they must first come out to do it. It’s time to quit the closets, take the stage and bask in the limelight. With luck, it could be the final adieu for Aggie liberalism. Members of PMC were denied due process In response to the March 8 editorial: I am responding to the article on PMC. As a sophomore in the Corps of Cadets, I was charged with hazing. Consequently, several other members of my outfit and I experienced Texas A&M's legal system and "due process." However, the experience was anything but fair to the accused, and due process was completely lacking. I believe A&M, the office of student affairs and the commandant's office have long taken advantage of the fact that we are students. I mean that we have scarce amounts of time, resources and money to try to defend ourselves in the Aggie legal system. Thus, we are at an inherent disadvantage; so, it is of paramount importance that the University respects our legal rights. In our hazing trial, we spent a good deal of time fighting off completely absurd accusations made by a cadet who had quit the Corps. This man had made up the most wild and gruesome stories (for example, he was getting axe handled 105 times per day). Here is my advice to the University: Many, but certainly not all, cadets who quit the Corps are feeling anxiety and shame. Hence, they will say a lot of things that are not true to help themselves feel bet ter. Don't jump to conclusions and be so quick to take the word of someone who is a quitter. Give cadets who have put in their time and worked hard to establish a credible reputation the benefit of the doubt. Hay McPadden Class of 2004 Bonfire coalitions support Gates' decision Bonfire Coalition for Students would like to extend its appreciation to Dr. Gates for his recent decision to lift the moratorium on the sale of Aggie Bonfire merchandise. As he stated, “we cannot allow the spirit of Aggie unity that Bonfire symbolized to be forgotten,” and allowing the sale of Bonfire memora bilia will keep that spirit alive. We are pleased that Bonfire merchandise will be required to have a ribbon remembering those injured and the lives tragically lost in the 1999 tragedy, for it is important that we never forget these individuals. Dr. Gates has continued to show his willingness to work with student requests in the past, and has shown it once again with his recent actions. Bonfire Coalition for Students and Bonfire Coalition have had several dis cussions with Dr. Gates on this issue and are extremely pleased that our voic es and the voices of current and former students were heard and their con cerns addressed. Once again, thank you Dr. Gates for allowing the sale of Aggie Bonfire memorabilia and listening to the voice of Aggieland. Dffe Wick The Bonfire Coalition and the Bonfire Coalition for Students Clint Rainey is a freshman general studies major.