Earth Day 2004! What have you done? I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention that today is the actual day and refer you to my column from last year – Earth Day Should Be Everyday. The fact that we should take care of our planet each and every day is something that should be second nature, but having a specific day devoted to it reminds people how important it is to do something.
Another column that you may find useful this week, which is also from last year, is Roe vs. Wade Turns 30. This Sunday, thousands of women (and hopefully men) will attend a rally in Washington D.C. to support women’s reproductive rights. This rally, sponsored by Planned Parenthood, proves to be an historic event.
The main reason that this rally is even necessary is the complete erosion of our rights as citizens of a free country. Each individual in this country should have the undeniable right to do with his/her body what they see fit. The government should have no rights over individuals in reference to their bodies.
Last year President Bush signed into law the Partial Birth Abortion Ban of 2003. Although I agree that the act of partial birth abortion is unsavory, I still feel that the government has no right to limit the availability of this procedure to women who find it necessary. Banning this procedure is merely the first step in the process of eroding the rights afforded to us through Roe vs. Wade. It also continues to chip away at our rights to contraception and safe sex education.
The government imposing an “abstinence only” tag to sex education in our nations schools is another reason why this weekends march is needed so badly. This is the year 2004 and if the government thinks that kids are not having sex, they are sorely mistaken. In fact, kids actually begin having sex at a younger age then they did in the 60’s, when the pill was invented and free love was everywhere. Not educating the nations youth on ways to protect themselves in addition to abstinence is like walking through life with our eyes closed. If we don’t see it it hasn’t happened. If we don’t teach our youth about sex they won’t have it. Yeah, right.
Besides, if you teach a teenager (or even younger sometimes) about safe sex and they choose to have relations, they will be protecting themselves against disease and the risk of having to make a choice, down the road when they become pregnant. Keeping things from kids only makes them want to explore more and exploring without facts and protection is just not good.
To wrap this column up I have posted a link below for more information on this weekends event in D.C.
Peace,
Hippiegrrl