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PAGE A5 Winston-Salem Chronicle JULY 20, 1989 What about the unwanted child's rights? As I watched this nation divid ed over the abortion issue with each side campaigning to influence the souri vs. Webster case, I was some what surprised by the relatively small number of Afro-Americans visibly involved. Let me say up front that on the abortion issue - like the death penalty - I have trouble playing God. So if someone else wants to make that call, I gladly defer. (I ? must admit, though, that I often . wonder how many who are pro-life are also pro-death penalty.) My intent here, however, is not to address the decision but to exam ine our awareness of the possible adverse effects of the decision, even now after the Court has thrown the ball back into the court of the states. Many states immediately began t working toward enacting legislation to either severely restrict abortion or to make it illegal. ? - My point: Have we considered the effect this could have on Afro American teen-agers and the chil dren the law would say these teen agers must bear? Have we consid ered this within the context of pub lic assistance programs that were either eliminated or drastically cut under the Reagan Administration? Lloyd N. Cutlei\ former coun set to President Jimmy Carter, wrote - in The New York Times , "The cru dest irony of the abortion move ment is that many of its proponents have so little interest in the health and welfare of the resulting children after they are born." I agree. To abort or not to abort is not the question. The question is, if we decide legally not to abort, will we assume the financial responsibility for the health and welfare of the unwanted children? Will we assume ihe responsibility of placing those children in loving homes where they are wanted? be involved in the pro-choice move- \ ment express support for women's a rights. With that I have no argu- I ment. Those involved in the right- ' to-life movement express support^ for the life of the "child." With that I AGAINST THE GRAIN By ROOSEVELT WILSON As Afro-Americans this should concern, us greatly. We should demand something here. If abor tions are going to be made illegal, or if federal and state financing will be denied for those seeking abor tions, then we should demand that federal and state financing be made available to the mothers who give birth to these unwanted children. If the government will not do that, then we should demand that the government leave the abortion option with the mother. Certainly, the pro-choice advo cates argue the fundamental issue of freedom of choice in abortion, but within that fundamental issue we as Afro-Americans must not forget that we have the highest rate of unwed and teen-age mothers of any -ethnic ^roup in this country. W& must not forget that we have the highest percentage of mothers as" heads-of-household. We must understand that if our government virtually mandates that our babies continue to have babies, our situation will be greatly exacer bated. The Afro-Americans I know to I have no problem. But we all "have a problem if we address only half the issue. We must take off our blinders and look at the big picture. Or better yet, look at a small picture: Despite all our education and awareness programs, a poor, unemployed and unmarried 18 year-old discovers she's pregnant and insists on having an abortion. We have but two choicest 1. If abortion is legal, we should provide for that teen-ager a means for a medically safe abortion. 2. If abortion is illegal or no government funds, personnel or facilities can be used to aid in abor tion, our government must become the "father" at that point and begin to provide tor the health and wei mother, and when the baby is born, its health an cf welfare remains the responsibility of the "father." The baby has that right. Roosevelt Wilson is working with the Chronicle this summer as the T. Thomas Fortune fel low. On the nature and extent of drug use The extent of illicit drug use and addiction has existed under varied and changing conceptual umbrellas. Assumptions about their nature have differed among professional segments as well as between them and the federal gov ernment. Before 1900, there was an outcry against morphine and cocaine, but the public was main ly tolerant or unaware of the amount of these drugs available in nostrums and even physician-dis pensed medicine. Starting with the Pure Food and Drug Law in 1906, there was greater awareness. The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 concluded a decade or more of debate over the wisdom of consid ering addicts as either criminals or victims of a disease. In the 1920s and until the 1960s, the hard line QUEST COLUMN By CARMEN P. MOTEN, Ph.D. use phenomenon stem from the heterogeneity and interplay of cul tural, environmental, and socioe conomic factors in the United States which generate distinctly different patterns of drug use. Socioeconomic status within groups is probably one of the most significant factors. The types and routes of administration of drugs are also remarkably subject to acculturation within a cohort. Researchers point out that there had been relatively little effort to distinguish drug use from problem use or drug abuse. Most attention has been focused on ini tiation and addiction, with rela tively little attention given to fac "The age of onset is also important. ... Youth who begin marijuana use early, before age 15, are at especially high risk for dysfunctional drug use or abuse. " prevailed. Physicians carried out little or no dispensing to addicts, the government's narcotic farms were virtual prisons, and manda tory sentences became legal in 1956. During the Kennedy admin istration, public attitudes and poli cy took on a medico-psychologi cal flavor, and in 1970 a new law corrected some inconsistencies in existing law. The need to solve the drug problem has been a recurrent theme of political and social com mentary in the United States for most of the past decade. The apparent increase in drug use -- ; itself defined as the problem -- has precipitated a serious inquiry into its causes, a massive invest . ment of social efforts to contain it, * and a mobilization of medical and para-medical resources to treat its ; victims. *%. K Drug use is not a unitary phc r-nomenon. Drug use includes a ; variety of substances which arc used independently, sequentially, , or concurrently, and with varying degrees of intensity. Factors adding to the diversity of the drug tors related to escalation, mainte nance, or cessation of drug use. The ability to differentiate the eti ological origins which pertain to various patterns of use and to var ious cultural and cthnic groups is limited. The ability to differentiate patterns of risk is critical if vari ous drug abuse phenomena are to be understood clearly and if pre vention programs are to be appro priate and targeted toward their intended audiences. Drug use in America is also a changing phenomenon. The extent of use and attitudes toward drug use change over time. Presumably the meaning and etiology of use are also subject to change. Drug use in the 1950s differs greatly from use in the 1960s, the 1970s, and the 1980s. For exam ple, drug yse in the 1950s was highly aberrant behavior, whereas experimental use of heroin in tffc 1960s and late 1970s was behav ior typical of a large segment of Americans. However, trends through the 1970s and the 1980s have shown a drastic increase in drug use. In the 1980s the drug of choice among a large segment of Americans is crack cocaine. There are also reports of multiple sub stance abuse such as heroin, crack, cocaine, and alcohol. Also, the patterns of drug use in the 1980s werecTiaracterized by the use of designer (laboratory-creat ed) dmgs such as POP. Not only does the cultural context change over time, it can also differ from one place to another or from one socioeconom ic, racial, or ethnic group to another. Obviously, drug use must be considered within its cultural and environmental context, and all findings need to be carefully qual ified in terms of their generaliz ability. The age of onset is also important Researchers point out that the age of onset of alcohol use strongly influences the proba bility of initiating use of marijua na and the age of onset of mari juana use influences the probabili ty of initiating use of other illicit drugs and of using prescribed psy choactive drugs. Youth who begin marijuana use early, before age 15, are at especially high risk for dysfunctional drug use or abuse. No one can deny that a drug problem exists. An apparent rise in crime and other antisocial behavior may be related in part to drug-using or drug-seeking behav ior. Of great concern is the attrac tion to drug use by large portions of this nation's youth, particularly when such use is indiscriminate and apparently oblivious to its risks. The lives and futures of our young can only be hurt by such behavior. The frustration which comes from knowing that drug use spreads by example is intensified with the continuing growth in the using population augurs no better for tomorrow ?- the youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. A Winston-Salem native/ Dr. Carmen P. Moten is a research osvcholoaist. * LIBERTY LINCOLN ? MERCURY GOING PtflC?Sl 1 989 TOWN CAR 5.0 B-8 ? AM/FM Cassette Stereo ? Auto Climate A/C ? Power Windows ? Power Door Lock ? Interval Wipers ? Rear Window Defroster ? Corning Lamps ? Auto Log Clock ? Power Antenna ? Speed Control ? Tinted Glass ? Full Size Spare Tire ? Power Seat ? And Much More! LIST PRICE LIBERTY DISCOUNT $26,352 $3.863 FACTORY REBATE $1 ,500 Relate assigned to dealer. Tax and tags extra. SAVE THOUSANDS NOW! ONLY A FEW IN STOCK! i LIBERTY LINCOLN ? MERCURY* MERKUR PETERS CREEK PARKWAY "f AJF A/I?H COME IN . . . TODAY! . f 40"U4 I 1 ? 3 Prices Good July 12, 13, 14 & 15 S UMMER SAVINGS Service, Selection & Savings - From "The Prescription People" Galaxy Oscillating Fans 16" 3 Speed #2151 7 * Umbrella Men's or Ladies' Automatic Umbrella $2&9 FILM PROCESSING Bring you FHm to Crown Drugs For Processing and get a 2nd Set Of Color Prints 2 Beautiful Color Prints for the Price of 1 - Everyday! or You May Choose the Your 35mm Processed Photos Returned Already Bound in a Mini Photo Album. ? 4"x6" size - 37% large than standard 35mm prints Exclumivmfy if Crown Drug* Sunbeam P*tk>hfmstcr Gas Grill Sunbeam PatioMaster? Table Top Gas Grill #8205 $218 tmle TOP MS Mill ARRID Arrid 4 02. Sprays, 2 oz. Roll-ons, 1 .5 oz. Roll-ons Your Choice $199 Motrin Tablets or Caplets 24's Reg. Price Less Mail-in Rebate -1M Final Cost 49$ /OflZZN r. v *? jRsa P.. V'X. ?QUrOPi One Touch Depilatory One Touch Roll-on Depilatory $377 Visit Ont of These Convenient Crown Drug Locations: 1631 Peter* Creek Parkway I. 2 Reynolda Manor Shopping Center 9 3. SOTS Kernerevllte Road 10 4. 901 Acadia A venue 11'. 5 Ha nee Mall .* 12 6 OkNeern, 3716 Reynolda Roed 13 7. Oemmooe, Wet wood Village 14. lewievllle, MM Shallowtord Rd Stanleyville, Old Hwy 52 North King, Colony Centre Walk art own, Mwy. 66 4917 Country Club Rd Sermuda Quey New Market Plaza - Kernerevllte Alto In: Salisbury, Yadklnvllle, MockevIHe, Newton, Taylortvllle A LtHngton. We Reserve The Right To Limit Quantities Visit a Crown Optic Shop today, located In Crown Drug Stores at the following locations: ? H?n?? Mall Winsioo- Salem ?66 9322 ? Willow Oak Cantor Moeka&a 634-6J16 WC OevWaon Phu laangioM. hc
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 20, 1989, edition 1
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