Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / June 26, 1982, edition 1 / Page 14
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f18 r-lG:l Kot Crowed r tut fejHVW.W.VWAV.'WAWIWWWn'WW y , Leaders nust tcrve ethers y and not thsnclvcj foxnrl jdXA nu be patient must always learn To Be Equal Family Planning Makes Sense 1 By John E.Jacob . . Executive Director. National Urban League- Editorials . The Supreme Court says it is constitu-" tional. The public supports it by over whelming majorities. But legal abortion is still a hot issue, with, lawmakers subjected to pressures from a highly vocal minority that wants to outlaw abortions. , As a result, Congress has passed limita tions on the use of federal funds for abor tions, something that affects only poor women since others can pay private doc-" tors to do what public Clinics and federal ly subsidized services can't do. And the regulators are also trying to rewrite the rules to satisfy not only the principled opponents of abortion but also those who regard sexual activity as an evil intrusion of the government into the economy see nothing wrong with putting federal cops in bedrooms and doctors' of- -fices to enforce their own narrow views of morality. . ', V v-'p f.- ; ')! :.. , One of the more curious outcroppirigs of this view was the Department of Health and Human Resources' decision to amend regulations for family planning services. , Under the proposed ' new rules, most people under the age of 18 coming to family planning clinic;for birth control prescriptions or devices would continue to be served only after .'tteir parents are notified. . ' Aside from the obvious violation of the " doctor-patient relationship by the federal government, and the warped practice of turning public health V providers into government informants, the rule would achieve the opposite of it$ intentions. Presumably the intention js to discourage teeange pregnancy by discouraging proliferation of birth con trol devices. If a young person knows her parents will be informed, she presumably would not go to the clinic for birth control devices and would refrain from sexual ac tivity. At least that seems to be the think ing. Note too, that it only applies to women. - But is that what is actually likely to happen?' Surely we know enough about human nature and needs and enough about socie ty's attitudes toward sexual activity to realize that the result is more likely to be fewer young people taking advantage of family planning services and a lot more unwanted teenage pregnancies. If the authors of the rules wanted to assert the role of parents they needn't have bothered to change the existing rule requiring that family planning projects encourage family participation to the ex tent practical. Instead of "encouraging" it, the new rule would mandate it. v The proposed rule has resulted in a storm of protests and letters from doc tors, parents and : young people. One . young woman wrote: "My baby will be three months old and I would not have been pregnant if I knew I could have come to the clinic without telling my mother." This fresh attempt to hinder family planning clinics is part of a larger cam paign to make abortion illegal. The clinics don't perform abortions, but can refer patients to places that do. By making birth'control information available they help people to make in H telligent, informed choices about whether they want children and if so, when and how many. . : The abortion issue is probably the hot test issue around, subject to violent emo tions on both sides. But it is too often a controversy concerned with theories of morality and not sufficiently concerned : about that individual young person whose entire life could be changed, for the worse, by bearing children before she is mature enough for motherhood. ; : Nor is It sufficiently concerned with the fate of unwanted children who must start life with enormous disadvantages. Again, it is instructive that the most vocal sup porters of the anti-abortion drive are also opponents of the programs that help disadvantaged people survive and offer nutritional and educational opportunities for children. . . y- v The problems of teenage mothers, u-: wanted babies, and families in need of ? assistance is too important to be deter-; mined by rigid, authoritarian spokesmen for a moral minority. New Names Are Good New Voters Are Better Voter registration activity across the state of North Carolina recently soared to its highest peaks in recent years, according to figures from the state elections office. . The figures are impressive. About 2,500 blacks have registered in. Durham, and about 12,000 across the ten-county second district. We commend the organizations that worked hard to develop this trend. ; v But as we mentioned in April when we discussed this subject, while new names on the books are good, new voters are better. It is not enough though "to criticize non-voters for their apathy. , Rather, the black community needs an institutionalized approach ' to creating positive political interests in black voters. We recommend: A continuous program that will at least educate people on the workings of local and state governments. People need to know, tor example, row zpning aiieciSiineiUVes wnai' fuies govern Civil Rights Journal Death of the Fourth Amendment By Dr. Charles, E. Cobb , ' ' , Executive Director United Church Of Christ Commission For Racial Justice The Fourth Amendment of the Con-, stitution asserts, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures; shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause; supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describ ing the place to be searched, and the per sons or things to be seized." v This amendment has served as a protec tion against arbitrary and capricious acts on the part of law enforcement officials by barring the use of evidence that has been obtained illegally .The principal ob ject of the Fourth Amendment is the pro tection of privacy1 Thereforelhectfpatity refuse ct)IIection and how the state budgetrgets settTkferiig could be coordinated by a coalition of organizations, and very likely could be taught by advanced students in Central's public administration program.. . We should have an ongoing process by which we identify potential candidates for local or state office, and a method by which we provide these persons with an intense briefing on the important issues facing the offices they seek. With these two programs in place as an integral part of the political activity in the black community, we should produce not only more informed voters, but better prepared candidates as , well. :'f;f . - ' '' "" ' - -'' xjC -' " : "' " ' ' We need these two programs because, as we've said, new names on the registration rolls are good, but new voters in the booths are a lot better. . - I The Civic Cejiter: An Idea; Whose Time Has Not Come Durham sorely needs a catalyst to spur it forward a well planned, coordinated program that will both generate new development and encourage existing businesses and industries to improve their facilities as well. This activity must be centered downtown, because no city can long endiire with a dead downtown. Downtown is the heart of any urbarj centety , f ' But the proposed, highly controversial downtown civic center, and hopefully an office and motel complex simply do not fit the bill. , , - . ' We will not discuss here the emotion charged issues of Hayti or eminent domain; or even the question of whether the proposed center will serve conventioneers more than it does lriral citizens: Rather, we will confine our discussion jto" the question of , downtown redevelopment as a product of comprehensive plann- The problem with the current civic center proposal is that it is being considered as an isolated entity. Critical issues that have apparently not been addressed are questions such as increased traffic, for example. If visitors come to the civic center, what percentage of them will drive to Durham, and what impact will that have on the city's , major streets? To what extent will local traffic, seeking relief, disperse through neighborhoods adjacent to major streets? And, what will be the impact of increased traffic on the livability quali ty of these neighborhoods? 1 Another unanswered question: Can the current downtown traf fic circulation scheme handle the increased traffic generated by the civic center, the office building and the hotel? Here, we must not only consider the visitors, but the people who will work in these buildings as well. ' Since Durham, like most urban centers, has rather limited ac cess to its downtown, can the central city be iruly redeveloped without first considering a long range plan to improvcjhe bus system? Without an, improved bus system, much of Durham's valuable downtown property will have to go to parking. There are dozens of other important questions that must have answers before the question of downtown development can be. . seriously considered. We believe that city planners must go back to the drawing board and grve Durham's citizens a comprehensive plan, a flexible guide; that will give us an overview of what wc wjll have to pay over the long haul to get the type of city, featur ing a thriving downtown, that we all want. So right now, we conclude, the civic center is an idea whose time has not come. Amendment depends upon whether the area searched was one in which there was a reasonable expectation of freedom from : governmental intrusions. In a recent decision by the Supreme Court, a majority of the justices held that it was permissible for police to conduct a warrantless search of any container found within a car so long as they had probable ' cause to conduct a warrantless search of the car itself.'.""1- ':J';;; This decision on the part of the Court, effectively removes the warrant require ment contained in the Fourth Amend ment. But more importantly, this decision, departs from the intent of this amend ment as it relates to the question of pro bable cause. Historically, the Supreme Court has insisted that inferences of pro bable cause be drawn by" "a neutral and detached : magistrate instead of being fjudgetMythtomcer'engia'm,ttie oFWnc twmrjetftmenterrJristfT offerreting - out crime." This most recent decision by the Court totally ignores the critical function served by a neutral magistrate and in fact places this function at the discretion of the individual police officer. I find this absolutely unthinkable. Par ticularly at a time when police community relations is at the danger level. When we near statements oy me los vngeies ponce chief that police chokeholds may affect Ul 1.- J! il.. ... uiat.s uuierentiy irom "normal people , I find it utterly absurd that the Court would increase the discretionary powers motorist and reasonably believes that a container in the motorist's possession, which cannot be easily destroyed, con tains any form of contraband, the officer should be required to obtain a warrant notwithstanding the inconvenience. Justice is often inconvenient. ra nwvian 4uivc lUUlguuu mar shall said in his dissenting opinion "effi ciency and promptness can never be .substituted for due process. . . .Is not a dictatorship the more 'efficient' form of government?" K-K-55SS55S Education Cuts . u '. By Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins In this season of college' graduations and commencement exercises, one fact is going all but unnoticed. That is that the Administration wants to severely cut col lege financial aid programs. Indeed, if the Administration has its way, Federal aid to education ;will drop 31 in the next two years. Specifically, the Reagan proposal would drastically increase the cost of stu dent loans, and restrict the number of eligible students. : ' W, , ' . Today, the vast majority of students who attend colleges and universities do so with some form of federal -financial assistance. For these students, the' propos ed cuts will be disastrous. For poor students, who are : disproportionately black, these cuts may ell spell the dif ference between going and not going to college. And, in times of high unemploy ment and stiffening competition for the -jobs that are availabele, the value of a col lege education takes on hew significance, Indeed, the unemployment rate for blacks with a' college education is less than a third of that of blacks; without a high 'school diploma. :, ; The Administration contends that its proposed cuts in college student aid will affect relatively few students. However, sources' estimate that upwards of two million needy students will be hurt by the President's proposals. Those within the Association of Black Colleges estimate that the Administration's proposals for 1983 would affect about 50,000 of the 250,000 students attending historically black schools. They go on to predict that 30,000 of those would lose so much money they would be forced to drop out of college. While the President may con sider this number insignificant, I don't. By reducing college financial aid, many talented students will have to abandon their educational goals. As a result, our nation's foundation may well be weaken ed by a lack of trained human resources. It is truly ironic that this Administration,' instead of planning for our nation's future, is destroying the foundation on which the future depends. v , : The Administration's rationale for cut ting student aid is that the Federal govern '. ment should not be the principal source of no or low-cost funding for higher educa tion. The j Administration says that parents must assume a greater respon sibility for educating their children. Urtr fortunately, the Reagan Administration, seems to have the idea that higher educa tion should be limited only to those students whose parents have an ; extra , $25,000 to put a son or daughter through four years of college. , The other reason given for cutting back on college financial aid stems from situa- ' tions where some ; students, primarily those who are upper-middle class and well to do, have abused the Federal Guaranteed Student loan Program. These abuses came about when these students took out loans fpr college and instead of using the money to pay for their educa tion, put the money in money market fnnds. On this point the President and I agree; college students should not be able -to use Federal money to invest. However, -the very program the President singled out as problematic is the only one he pro poses to increase. At the same time, the ' Administration is recommending a 40 , cut in funding for Pell Grants, the basic form of Federal aid to low and middle income students. Moreover, they propose ; substantial cuts, and in some cases total elimination of other financial aid pro-, grams which are geared for the low and middle-income student. .., Cuts in student loan programs will close the door of opportunity on tens of thousands of Americans. As a result, col leges and universities will be forced to choose their students on the basis of their ability to pay, rather than on their desire to learn and their willingness to contribute to our nation's future. v We must join together to convince the Administration and their Congressional supporters that the American public simp ly will not tolerate policies which threaten our future. v If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who propose to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning: They want the ocean's majestic waves without the awful roar of its waters. - Frederick Douglass L.E.AUSTIN Editor-Publisher 1927-1971 USPS 091-380 (Mrs.) Vivian Austin Edmonds Edltor-PubNshir ': ' . ':-- v.: --:X '""',' Ktnnstn W. Edmonds Gomnrt Minagor ' L.M. Austin Production Supervisor ..- .Milton Jordan ' , ' Exocutivo Editor ' Curtis T. Parkins " t v Contrfcuting Edlor-Foroign Affairs Published ovary Thursday (dated Saturday) (except ! L"HiE,,!"l" Christmas) m Durham. fl.C., by UnNad Publishers, Incorporated. Mailing address: P.O. lex 3825, Durham, H.C. 27702-3325. Office f Mli? frff . Durham. H.C. Carolina 27702. . . v .: Volume 80, Number 25. . POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE ; "WL'MATIMES, P.O. Box 3825. oirtM. D C SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year. I12.D0 (plus Ol sales tax tor North Carolina residents). Slogle copy 30. Postal regulaUona REQUIRE advanoe vS m? MberlP,,fl!,' " eemmunlcedoM TIMES o; THE CAROLINA . MT,0M!i ' MWWIIIItl. REPRESENTATIVE: I u Member: Unled Press International Photo Service. National Newspaper Publishers Association. North Carolina BJtck Publlilws UMdatloT Opinions expressed by columnists In thta newspaper do not necessarly represent the peHci this newspaper. ' v .J1!!! PP WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE lor -the mum el unsolicited pictures.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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June 26, 1982, edition 1
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