New York's Deadliest CATCH
September 25, 2012 - Tuesday
In New York City, local schools are promoting the wrong kind of "extra curricular" activities. To combat the big uptick in teen pregnancy, city health officials are taking matters into their own hands--and out of parents'. Under a new program called CATCH, Connecting Adolescents to Comprehensive Healthcare, 13 high schools will double as confidential medical clinics where students can get regular birth control injections, the morning-after pill, and condoms without ever calling home. That's right. The same nurse's office that demands a parents' note for aspirin will be in the position to administer high (and potentially dangerous) doses of hormones to children as young as 14 without so much as a permission slip. "I would go to the nurse without telling my parents," a local girl admitted.
Liability issues aside, this is a sickening violation of parents' authority, which happens to pose serious risks to teens' health. As FRC's Jeanne Monahan pointed out during the abortion industry's push to make Plan B available to kids over the counter, some of our concerns have to do with the lack of testing on young girls whose bodies are still in a developmental stage. And contrary to what New York officials believe, Plan B has actually been linked to an increase in teen pregnancies. Another 2010 study found that it's partially responsible for a spike in adolescent STDs. Then, of course, there's the reality that these pills can, in some instances, abort a human life. No high schooler has the maturity level to weigh these issues alone and make a sound decision.
Hold on, the Left will say, students won't be making these choices themselves--they'll have the help of school and health officials. Yes, the same people who want to squeeze moms and dads out of the process by automatically opting children in to CATCH. The same agencies that say they will bypass the age restrictions on the morning-after pill by having their own doctors prescribe them. And the same local government that continues to preside over the highest abortion rate (41%) in the country. Unfortunately, I think we all understand the kind of advice children can expect from New York officials (it starts with promiscuity and ends with Planned Parenthood.)
Of course, one of the greatest ironies of this whole debate is that it's taking place in New York City--the cradle of Nanny State politics. Now, the same Mayor who took away the city's Big Gulps wants to take an even bigger risk with kids' health. It's like the First Lady, who is dictating what's on every student's lunch plate because she thinks she knows better than parents. From a liberal standpoint, it makes perfect sense. If moms and dads can't be trusted to ensure that their kids are eating well, then they certainly can't be trusted with decisions about sex and abortion. So the government takes away chocolate milk because it's too fattening--only to turn around and give kids the morning-after pill, which can really kill.
In the meantime, substituting government for family will only exacerbate the problems of teen sex and pregnancy. It's a trend that will only change when leaders recognize that involving parents in the decision-making process is the best birth control of all.
Romney Enlists Military's Support
President Obama may be tracking ahead of Mitt Romney in a few polls, but in the military, it's no contest. The current commander-in-chief apparently commands very little support in his reelection campaign. After the last four years of carrying the President's water on radical social issues, the military has had enough. Nationwide, Governor Romney is as many as 20 points ahead of President Obama, even in key states like Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia--all of which have large veteran contingents. "It's no contest," said Maurice Tamman, who has spent time at Reuters polling military families on the race.
Although the White House can tout an end to the war in Iraq and the killing of Osama bin Laden as accomplishments, it cannot distance the President from his extreme homosexual agenda, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the waning rights of religious service members, the battle over voting rights for the military, and the devastating cuts to national defense set to kick in next year. Governor Romney, meanwhile, continues to talk about the importance of a strong national defense--at a time when many Americans are beginning to question the President's strategy in the Middle East and elsewhere. There's still a lot of time between now and November 6, but if this trend continues, Governor Romney stands to benefit from at least one very energized demographic.
Be the Seed, Iowa!
A large ad in Des Moines' Airport shows a harvester bringing in the sheaves. It says: "Be the Seed that Inspires the Next Generation." That was the message of FRC's Bob Morrison, Kathy Flavin, and Chris Bosch as they rode the Values Bus through the Hawkeye State last weekend. They urged Iowans to pray, prepare, and participate in the critical November 6 elections. In 2010, FRC Action's Connie Mackey and I led a Judge Bus Tour through Iowa that ended with voters recalling three of Iowa's Supreme Court judges, who had arrogantly struck down Iowa's law protecting true marriage.
This time, our red and white, blue and gold Values Bus ranged from Osceola to Council Bluffs and on to a large rally at Pastor Cary Gordon's Cornerstone World Outreach Church in Sioux City. There, Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa) criticized administration efforts to ban the Bible at Walter Reed National military Medical Center, near Washington, D.C. Bob Morrison said everyone's religious liberty is imperiled when an HHS mandate from the Obama administration tries to force religious institutions, including Evangelical colleges and Catholic hospitals, to provide coverage for drugs that can cause abortions and for sterilizations.
Monday, under the golden dome of the majestic State Capitol, pro-family leaders Bob Vander Plaats and Tamara Scott urged fellow Iowans to reassert their right to govern themselves. Tamara added: "[Judge David Wiggins] is just number four in a line of seven who committed a grievance against the people." Former Sen. Rick Santorum called on Iowans to stand for liberty by providing badly needed checks and balances on abuse of power by usurping judges. Rick, who had visited all 99 Iowa counties and won the Iowa Caucuses, inspired the state to live up its motto: "We prize and will maintain our rights and liberties."
** We wish our Jewish friends a blessed Yom Kippur, which starts this evening!
*** Check out Ken Klukowski's advice to the GOP nominee in his new Breitbart column, "Romney Aides Should Read Bush Aide's Memoir on Supreme Court Appointments."