Newspapers / Bennett College Student Newspaper / April 8, 1993, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Bennett College Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
4 • BENNETT BANNER • APRILS, 1993 EDITORIALS / OPINIONS KIM HALL Editorial Page Editor Gays in the military: What's the big deal? Left! Left! Left! Right! Left!, are the words that some groups in the mihtary are so eagar to hear. These people are homosexuals. Now that President Clinton is taking steps to lift the ban against ho mosexuals in the mili tary, it has caused many people to react with disgust, hate and cruelty. The guidelines in President Clinton’s compromise include,: Not asking new re cruits about their sexual orientation, sus pending investigations to weed out gays in imiform and suspending current cases seeking to discharge gays. It has ultimately put this issue along with others into a huge controversial pot. Many Americans are against this change. Some argue that having gays in the military would distort the whole system. They feel that these men and women would not know how to properly perform for their coun try in wartime situations. According to them, gays should be dissmissed, otherwise out breaks of sodomy will happen consistently. These self-righteous, homophobic people, as I like to call them, are quick to shake their finger and protest. What they should be doing is looking at themselves. Did these people know that there are more sexual-harrassment lawsuits filled against “straight “ people than there are against homosexuals? My view point on this subject is, what is the big deal? The only thing that these mis guided stereotypes do is create division and hinder justice. Gays have been active in serv ing in the military for years and doing just as well as heterosexuals. Look at it like this: If a homosexual does his or her job, pays taxes and minds his or her own business, how will it affect you? Why should they be the ones to lose their jobs? I don’t imderstand why so many people are lashing out against this trivial matter. Per haps it is because of their own insecurities and ignorance. It isn’t fair for the system to cast stones at someone for their sexual preference, just like it wasn’t fair long ago when they felt that blacks were incapable of serving with white infantry soilders. We must not let prejudice guide us, but instead work to better our relationships with all types of people. Until we leam to do this we will go nowhere. MELODY WHITAKER Opinion The Abortion Controversy: Pro-Choice Women of all ages, sizes, races, ethnic groups and socioeco nomic backgrotmds receive abor tions daily. Abortion is defined as the premature expulsion or re moval of an embryo or fetus from the uterus before birth. Is abor tion legal ? The Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade made abortion a reproductive right. Pro-choice activists believe that abortion is a private medical pro cedure that a woman may choose to un dergo or to reject. Pro- choice activ ists believe the abortion issue does not belong on the governmental agenda any more than do other surgical procedures that some deem especially unwise. About 1.5 milHon abortions are preformed annually. The fundamental moral prin ciple for pro-choice is the right to control one’s body against social regulation. Every woman has a property in her own person. The right to one’s own body is at the center of individual hberty. The pro-choice movementbeheves that authority to end pregnancies should be solely with the woman. The government continually tries to govern over what a woman should do concerning her body. The courts need to keep abortion legal. Studies show if the courts overturn Roe vs. Wade and make a lot of restrictions, many women that are less fortunate will defi nitely suffer. Many people feel as if the court system cannot choose what a woman can or cannot do with her body. How can a law dictate these measures? If this were to happen, many woman would do anything to harm their bodies over the knowledge of an unwanted child. Without abortion rights, women of color are the first to die fi'om back-alley butchers or forced to submit to sterilization, a form of legalized genocide and the United States government’s final solution to the “race problem”. Women students are forced out of school and white women are co erced into compulsory pregnancy «Mwo«,.,WnaSy... and imemployment line s. Women and our male allies refuse to sub mit peacefully to a Supreme Court decision that sentences women and children to depriva tion and death. Women must take control and prepare to: *Defend-in the courtroom , the media and on the streets-doc- tors, mirses, staff and patients who challenge court and legisla ture edicts against reproductive freedom; *Demand that our unions, churches and commiinity orga nizations take an active role in defending abortion rights; *Aggressively defend women’s cHnics from physical and politi cal attacks by right-wing sup porters; *Support national and local leg islation that guarantees abortion with funding, as well as fi-ee, 24- hour childcare and prenatal care for low income and poor women. Developments in rights of control of fertility will obvi ously not solve the deep economic and social problems facing the world. However, they will give greater control over the lives and more opportunity to have the number of children they want £ind at the time of life when they are best able to care for them. In the not-so-long run, we need a socialist revolution to guarantee lasting reproductive freedom and to create the good life that every politician promises-but can’t de liver. LETTERS Express yourself. We welcome your signed letters. Send to Editor, Bennett Banner, Box 302, Bennett College Greensbro, NC 27401. Please include phone number. Ain’t no stoppin’ us now! My how time does fly wh en you are having fiin. All of the fraternity parties, social gatherings, dorm room chats, cafeteria food fights, political sit-ins, and the masses of col lege activities. Bennett Belles have experienced so much over a period of four, five, or six years that sometimes they have to ask, “How did I make it this far?” It has been said that people grow on another level when they are in college. They leam to be independent, self motivated and mature. In some cases students who find the col lege experience to be too diffi cult to handle and return home. Several seniors who will be graduating this Spring are full of excitement and anticipation as well as fear and uncertain ties. Graduation is a time in one’s life when an individual goes from level DEANNE McLEOD Opinion one to an other in her edu cational process. “I can’t believe I am already graduating. It seems like I just came out of high school last year,” said senior education major, Chile’ Hailes. “I am glad it is all over, but at the same time I would love to have this time in my life back again.” There have been difficult times during the undergradu ate years at Bennett College. Please see Friendships, next page
Bennett College Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 8, 1993, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75