- Englewood animal shelter has caring workers
- Resist the DREAM
- McCallin: loose cannon
- A DIFFERING VIEW/Farm Bill’s goal is to put affordable food on the table
- Environmental saviors
- Judge has a backbone
- Trick or treating etiquette
- Homelessness in Colorado
- Politics never meant to be a career option
- Term limits the answer for Congress
What they expect
Good grief! Christian neighbors are digging in to support Gary Meggison, builder and renovator of a Planned Parenthood office in the Stapleton neighborhood (“Construction exec’s home target of abortion protests,” Oct. 29).
If aborting innocent children doesn’t offend them, maybe they should go to www.teenwire.com. Here, Christian parents can learn what Planned Parenthood thinks and expects of our children.
Mark Ballentine, Westminster
Thinks and expects of our children? What? They think our kids are sexually active and need help, they are right.
Go Christian neighbors.
Why does this concern you? Are you a woman? are you in need of medical services?
Why is this your problem? Someone needs to help the kids.
Posted by on November 2, 2007 01:29 AMYes the CHILDREN need help, but promoting sexual activity is not they way. Giving children condoms, birth pills, then telling them it is ok to experiment is not helping them at all.
Posted by on November 2, 2007 04:24 AMI love the folks who, like Anonymous at 04:24 AM, are scared to death that children will "experiment" if they know about how to prevent pregnancy. Here are facts that person is choosing to ignore:
1) the US has one of the highest (if not the highest) teen pregnancy rates of any industrialized country
2) virtually every other industrialized country teaches full spectrum information about birth control (instead of only teaching abstinence), including the risks involved & makes birth control available to those who are sexually active & do not want to become parents
3) Guess what - in those countries, not only are teen pregnancy rates lower, so are abortion rates - and - here's the kicker - they start having sex later than in the US (US average age is 14 - yes - fourteen) and in Europe it is closer to 18!
Not only that - but many of Planned Parenthood's patients are there for cancer screenings & STD testing & treatment - which is a service provided to both men & women. Yes, many are there for birth control - which seems to indicate to me that they are responsible enough to want to plan when they have children (hence the name) - but too damn many so-called Christians from the ultra-right not only want to ban abortion, they want to ban birth control, despite studies which indicate that over 80% of MARRIED couples use birth control at some point, and believe it should be available.
Go Christian neighbors indeed. Keep the idiots away! And thank you, Planned Parenthood, for your courage.
Posted by atticus on November 2, 2007 05:32 AMGood Greif! Mark, mabye not all christians are as narrow minded and hateful as you.
Posted by ollie on November 2, 2007 06:30 AMBROWN & BLACK BIRTH CONTROL: FDR used the atom bomb on Japanese. LBJ used white phosphrous (WILLY PETER) on Vietnamese, which burned through their skin and bones. "W" used WILLY PETER on unsuspecting Iraqis to root insurgents from residentail neighborhoods. These 3 barbarians are no better than Hitler or Saddam. "W" should be hauled into an international court of law and given his just (Hitler) desserts.
Posted by 40acresandmymuleandNAMvetbennies on November 2, 2007 07:19 AMthis guy is doing his job of building a building. so what they guy works and isnt on the public dole and actually contributes to soceity.
the protestors are at the wrong place but then again those who protest anything dont have a life so what can you expect.
I find it funny that everyone touts Planned Parenthood as an abortion clinic, but disregards everything else they do. PP provides low-cost services to women which include bith control, education, and exams. They inform a woman of her options when they become pregnant, which is what every clinic should do. A woman has the right to choose what happens to her body.
Posted by N. Pasco on November 2, 2007 07:49 AMI find it funny that everyone touts Planned Parenthood as an abortion clinic, but disregards everything else they do. PP provides low-cost services to women which include bith control, education, and exams. They inform a woman of her options when they become pregnant, which is what every clinic should do. And if a woman chooses to have an abortion, that is her business, not the governments.
Posted by N. Pasco on November 2, 2007 07:50 AMBoth the neighbors and the protesters are acting wrong as Christians. The way to treat the builder depends on whether he is a Christian himself. If he isn't leave him alone; God will judge him (1 Cor 5: 12-13). If he is a Christian, one should follow the instructions Jesus gave in Matt 15:15-18 which doesn't include public protesting.
Posted by Brad on November 2, 2007 07:52 AMMark has probably never been laid. I have known one person who protested at abortion clinics. Extremely homely 40 some year old virgin.
Posted by Obvious on November 2, 2007 08:30 AMSilly, silly people who need a life.
Posted by Mac on November 2, 2007 08:42 AMI find it amazing that some christians would rather actively put their kids in harm's way rather than educate and equip them to deal with the risks of life.
Posted by jay on November 2, 2007 09:25 AMI'd just like to ask this group to keep up those protests. It always spurs me to make another donation to Planned Parenthood.
Posted by Joanna on November 2, 2007 10:06 AMJust one more thing that "amazes" jay the tool.
One easily pictures a raccoon mesmerized by a shiny object.
I graduated HS in the early 80's before any sort of sex education (well, "organized" sex education anyway - there was plenty of disorganized educatin' going on), and certainly before any publicly available birth control was available.
A fairly high percentage of the kids were sexually active. Most used birth control, some didn't.
Some kids are going to be sexually active, in fact a large percentage are. Doesn't matter if you give 'em education or not. Doesn't matter if you give 'em free condoms or not.
And there's nothing you can do about it. Might as make sure they ARE educated and protected.
Posted by Tim on November 2, 2007 03:38 PMI just went to the Teenwire.com website Ballantine objects to. It's filled with all kinds of horrible stuff like:
The report, issued by the (American Psychological Association)'s Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, analyzed research on girls and what happens when they are sexually objectified and found that those who felt alienated from their bodies and felt their appearance was the most valuable part of themselves were also more likely to experience a number of poor health effects.
Those health effects include:
low self-esteem
impaired thinking
poor motor coordination
depression and shame
poor sexual health, such as not using condoms
decreased physical activity
increased compulsive behavior, such as smoking or eating disorders
To improve girls' lives, the task force made a number of recommendations
Improve school media literacy programs to help both girls and boys challenge the sexually objectified images of girls and women in the media and advertising.
Provide comprehensive sex education.
Encourage girls to find ways to reconnect with their bodies, such as sports, meditation, or walking.
Encourage increased research on sexual objectification, especially of young girls."
"Sexual health is something that affects all of us, whether we're currently sexually active or not. Sexual health is about more than using birth control, practicing safer sex, or being free of infection or dysfunction. It's about being emotionally, physically, and mentally aware of what you want and need sexually. It's also about communication and responsibility."
"There's no such thing as a "normal" age for becoming sexually active. Deciding whether to have sex is a highly personal decision that can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as religion, family and personal values, peer influence, and the status of your relationship. It's important to think about where you stand on the issue. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you decide:
Do we both believe that sex should only be shared in a marriage or other committed relationship?
Do we both think that two people should be in love before having sex?
Do we both believe that a person should be a certain age before having sex?
Are we both prepared to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection?
Are we both prepared to deal with the consequences if pregnancy or infection occurs?
Are we both prepared for our relationship to change?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Sexual decisions are a matter of personal beliefs and values, but it's important to think them through before you take the plunge. Talking about your views on sex with your partner is also a good idea. And sometimes it's helpful to talk things through with a parent, a friend, a professional counselor, or someone else who cares about you and what will be good for you. "
"When it comes to relationships, everyone has the right to set boundaries and have those boundaries respected. If you don't feel comfortable being at home alone with your boyfriend, you shouldn't feel pressured to be in that situation. If your parents let you go on dates, you could go out with your boyfriend to a movie, coffee shop, park, etc. Or you could hang out with him when your parents, siblings, or friends are around.
It sounds like you are concerned that your boyfriend may want to have sex or sex play and that you're not ready to do that. No one should feel pressured into doing something sexually that they don't want to do. Partners should respect each others' boundaries, and it's also important for partners to be clear with each other about what they do and don't want to do."
Oh, the horror!
Posted by Queen Gorgo (For only Spartan Women give birth to real men!) on November 2, 2007 03:43 PMQueen, thanks for all you do in your job to help girls. Talk is cheap, and electro-talk is worthless for these girls. Love Sharon B.
Posted by Sharon B. on November 2, 2007 08:28 PMQueen, Sharon
Problem is most of the posters here don't think beyond the clinic. Girls and women often need support and education that cannot be provided easily or cheaply.
If she aborts she has hormonal changes that can create emotional problems and she needs someone to help her through it without opening the Acme Judgment Company. If she decides to have the baby she needs support for that as well and often thinks and plans only up until the birth. These women need education on sexual matters as well as practical ones like work skills and money management. Often the gift of a bread machine with one or two home made packaged mixes gives them a start on being able to learn skills and thinking patterns to prevent accidental stress, like pregnancy, as well as to prepare for a life as a contributing member of society. I've met girls, both those who aborted and those who had the baby, who didn't know how to fill out a job application, balance a checkbook, (OK ya got me...I just round every check up to the next higher 5 multiple...12.99 becomes 15.00 and 35.99 is 40 and deposit the paycheck every week and follow the menu and budget plans.)
I fare better with cooking. When I was in college I was given a book titled: "The Impoverished Students' Book of Cookery, Drinkery and House Keepery. Read it, loved it wish I had not had a fire that destroyed my home in 1990. Lost all.
Our family gets together for most holidays and, ever since we retired from the road, I do the cooking. Was in the hospital last year so everyone else did the cooking and brought the food here. This year I trained my oldest step-son, uncle to the granddaughter, how to brine the turkeys and how to load the smokers. Family supplies the food, I cook it. So far we will have 3 or 4 turkeys, 2 of them smoked and about 20 lbs of potatoes baked. Add in the extras and everyone is very glad I have 3 ovens and a microwave.
Some of the girls are amazed to see how much food they can get if they learn to cook simple dishes. Others want the fast food express but learn how to budget and cook if they ever decide to use it. Used to do teaching of basic computer skills like MS Word, Excel, WordPerfect and the rest of the common office applications so they could get a job. My husband used to beg computers from companies when he saw them tossing them out, we were truckers back then, then donating them to battered womens' shelters or groups working with displaced or disadvantaged women. Most of them were very outdated but, this was before government regulations on purging information on hard drives most of them also had older versions of Windows and Word/Wordperfect applications. We erased any private information that hadn't been purged but that left plenty of room to install programs people could use. One girl was very good at WordPerfect and learned how to do just about anything in the application. She used the computer to find a job and she went to computer recylers and got a computer for fifty dollars. She used a modem connection and her phone to set up her computer online. She is a legal secretary now and she earns twice what my husband does. She also contributes to the women's center and spend two nights a week teaching skills and telling the other women the only thing holding them back is what they let hold them back. She is so fantastic.
I have deliberately not divided the women into the with baby/without baby groups. They are all women who need help. The best ones to give that help are women.
Posted by momma y on November 4, 2007 09:42 PM