tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366617292024-03-23T10:49:15.076-07:00One Man RambleOccasional ramblings on life, faith, politics, and other odd assortments.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711923877381481458noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36661729.post-1163862071957557762006-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:002006-11-18T07:01:11.966-08:00I'll Take Fries With That Flu ShotIt had to happen sometime in our convenience-driven society: Drive through flu shots. Motorists in several cities can get a flu shot without leaving their car. To reach the passenger side, they use a really big needle. Just kidding.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-vbriefs16_506nov16,0,7025283.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-volusia">Article from the Orlando Sentinel</a><br /><br /><a href="http://keyetv.com/topstories/local_story_312181604.html">Austin News</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.register-mail.com/stories/111106/LOC_BBG98D4P.GID.shtml">Get it with a bagel in Galesburg, IL</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.register-mail.com/images/111106/25802_256.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.register-mail.com/images/111106/25802_256.jpg" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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It's not requiring their consent (which I think would be appropriate).<br /><br />Here's why I think it makes sense:<br /><br />In California, a girl under 18 can't get an aspirin from the school nurse without adult consent. She also can't get a flu shot or have her tooth pulled without parental consent. But she can have an abortion and never have her parents notified.<br /><br />Here are the official argument against Proposition 85, with my comments added in red. I'll leave their usage of all caps, though someone should tell them it's not polite to shout.<br /><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><br /><br />They understand that while PARENTS RIGHTFULLY WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THEIR TEENAGERS’ LIVES, in the real world, SOME California TEENAGERS COME FROM HOMES where they can’t talk to their parents, where there is violence, or WHERE A FAMILY MEMBER HAS SEXUALLY ABUSED THEM.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">I love the comment about who's living in the "real world." This proposition allows a judge to provide a waiver for the very reasons listed in the above paragraph.</span><br /><br />THESE TEENS CAN’T GO TO THEIR PARENTS. They fear being kicked out of their homes, beaten, or worse. Proposition 85 forces these teens to delay critical medical care or turn to self-induced or illegal back-alley abortions. Some will go across the border; some will suffer serious injuries or even consider suicide.<br /><br />PROPOSITION 85 PUTS THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF TEENAGERS AT RISK.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">By denying parents the right to know, they are also discouraging proper medical and psychological follow-up after the abortion. In a vast majority of the cases, a 48 hour waiting period will not delay "critical medical care." This loads the argument by assuming that most of these abortions are life or death matters, which they are not.</span><br /><br />No law can mandate good family communication. The real answer to teen pregnancy and abortion is strong, caring families and comprehensive sex education, including abstinence. But sadly, not all California teens live in homes with strong, caring families.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">So ... how does further eroding the rights of parents to be parents encourage "strong, caring families"?</span><br /><br />For OUR MOST VULNERABLE TEENAGERS—those who most need protection—PROPOSITION 85 PUTS THEM IN HARM’S WAY OR FORCES THEM TO GO TO COURT.<br />FORCING A SCARED, PREGNANT TEENAGER who can’t go to her parents INTO CALIFORNIA’S OVERCROWDED COURT SYSTEM WON’T WORK— AND COULD CAUSE TEENS MORE HARM. Courts are already backlogged, there’s a lot of red tape, and they are hard to navigate, even for adults.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">This is ironic since liberals have used the courts to enact what they couldn't get passed into law.</span><br /><br />Think about it. The teen is scared, pregnant, her family might be abusive. SHE DOESN’T NEED A JUDGE. SHE NEEDS A COUNSELOR AND GOOD MEDICAL CARE—WITHOUT DELAY.<br />Proposition 85’s new bureaucratic rules WON’T GUARANTEE that parents are notified. Who will sign for the mail? What happens when the mail is delayed, or the parents aren’t home, or the teen intercepts the letter?<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Again, this argument goes back to the assumption that the teen is coming from an abusive family. That's a redherring that avoids the real issue of parental rights.</span><br /><br />The real answer to teen pregnancy is prevention and caring families—NOT NEW LAWS THAT ENDANGER OUR DAUGHTERS. AND PROPOSITION 85 IS NOT ABOUT PROTECTING TEENS FROM OLDER MEN AND SEXUAL PREDATORS. Clinics already provide counseling about responsible behavior and report illegal activities.<br /><br />Proposition 85 won’t reduce teen pregnancy rates, can’t force families to communicate, is complicated and unworkable . . . and is not about predators—BUT IT WILL PUT GENERATIONS OF CALIFORNIA’S TEENAGERS AT RISK.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">How in the world does this law "endanger our daughters"? Are the authors admitting that their daughters come from abusive homes? While it's true that Proposition 85 cannot force families to communicate, not passing it will prohibit them from communicating!</span><br /><br /><hr /><br /><p><strong>Other blogs on Proposition 85</strong></p><p><a href="http://blog-by-the-sea.typepad.com/blog_bythesea/2006/11/proposition_85_.html">http://blog-by-the-sea.typepad.com/blog_bythesea/2006/11/proposition_85_.html</a></p><p><a href="http://www.speroforum.com/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=1151&wa=25">http://www.speroforum.com/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=1151&wa=25</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711923877381481458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36661729.post-1161973226198047712006-10-27T11:03:00.000-07:002006-10-27T11:20:26.223-07:00California Voter Guide Weighs Ten PoundsWe received our official California Voter Guide in the mail and it has 192 pages! Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of pictures but I was impressed by the extensive vocabularly of those who draft the propositions. This year's California ballot has 13 statewide initiatives, not to mention numerous local propositions. You can <a href="http://www.voterguide.ss.ca.gov/">click here</a> to find the PDF file in your favorite language.<br /><br />Just in case you're bilingual, you can obtain a copy in any of the following languages.<br /><br />English<br />Spanish<br />Chinese<br />Japanese<br />Korean<br />Tagalog<br />Vietnamese<br /><br />Of course, it would be good politics if the propositions were written in short, concise language that the average person could understand. I have a theory -- a proposition creates a mile of bureaucracy for every page that it contains. That may explain the incentive for inflicting such tremendous verbiage on people.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.voterguide.ss.ca.gov/images/blue_seal.gif" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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