Volume XWII, Issue 7
Educating Women To Excel
October 20, 2004
ON THE
INSIDE:
Women's
S tudies
Page 2
Campaign
Kickoff
Page 3
Flu vaccine
shortage
Page 4
Fashion
Neu^s
Page 5
Environment
News
Page 6
Political
Views
Page 8
Meredith’s
Weekly Weather
WEDNESDAY
Scutiered Showws
High 78/ Low 58
Alexander Sanger addresses Meredith community
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Panly Cloudy
High 75/ Low 55
Partly Cloudy
High 77/ Low 59
Partly Cloudy
High 78/ Low 54
Scaaered Showtrs
Hi^ 76/ Low 51
Scancred Showers
High IV Low 50
Mostly Sunny
High71/Low48
PIPER PETROCELLI
Staff Writer
Is being pro-choice the
moral choice? Should par
ents be able to select the sex
of the children they choose
to have? Are some repro
ductive technologies such
as genetic engineering and
cloning potentially too dan
gerous to leave unrestricted?
These are some of the
controversial topics Alex
ander Sanger addresses in
his new book on the uncer
tain future of reproductive
rights in America. Sanger,
grandson of legendary birth
control movement activist
Margaret Sanger, is current
ly Chair of the International
Planned Parenthood Coun
cil and serves as a Goodwill
Ambassador for the United
Nations Population Fund.
He previously served as the
President of Planned Par
enthood of New York City
(PPNYC) and its interna
tional arm, The Margaret
Sanger Center International.
When Alexander Sanger
visited Meredith College
on October 13, he discussed
some of the topics from his
new book, "Beyond Choice:
Reproductive Freedom in
the 21st Century”. In his
book, he explores the histo
ry of the reproductive rights
movement to discover how
it got stuck in its thinking,
and then provides a new ar
gument for the rightness of
its cause. Sanger writes that
“having abortion legal and
accessible is morally right,
not morally wrong”. He
condemns the current situ
ation in which “abortion is
technically legal but diffi
cult for many to access”, ar
guing that “a woman has the
right to use birth control and
have an abortion because
the pregnancy affects her
body and her body only”.
He also addresses reasons
why, in an era of new repro
ductive technologies, com
pletely unfettered choice
is not morally defensible.
Thirty years after Roe v.
Wade, the argument between
pro-choice and pro-life sup
porters has reached a stale
mate. Pro-choice arguments
haven’t persuaded a comfort
able majority that legal abor
tion is vital. International
Planned Parenthood Council
Chair Alexander Sanger asks
pro-choicers an important
question: How many more
pieces of pro-life legislation
will it take to get the pro-
choice movement to rethink
Bi-.YONP
Ciiaici
Alexander Sanger, left, discussed topics from his new book, Be
yond Choice, with the Meredith community last Wednesday.
its approach to the issue?
Advocates of reproduc
tive rights are hosting events
in churches and temples that
focus on the theological and
moral arguments supporting
a woman’s right to choose.
Supporters also hope to ex
pand the news coverage of
religious viewpoints on the
issue to go beyond those
of the Catholic Church and
religious fundamentalists.
This past January, Planned
Parenthood of New York
City gathered religious lead
ers, local politicians and
women's rights activists to
commemorate the 31st anni
versary or Roe vs. Wade. One
of the prominent speakers at
KNS announces new members
JESSICA WILSON
Contributing Writer
Meredith College honored
academic achievement on
September23attheKappaNu
Sigma induction ceremony.
Held in Jones Chapel,
the ceremony welcomed
Meredith students, faculty
and families. Scholarships
were awarded to juniors
and sophomores with the
highest GPAs in their class
for the 2003-2004 aca
demic year. Membership to
ICappa Nu Sigma was of
fered to all students meet
ing eligibility requirements
of GPA and credit hours.
Scholarship recipients
are juniors Michelle Dill-
man, Anna McFadyen and
Rebekah Taylor, along
with sophomores Heather
Blanchard, Katherine Flynt,
Kimberly Humphrey, An
gela Levesque, Amanda
Nickerson, Genevieve Park
er and Rachel Venderburg.
New members inducted
into Kappa Nu Sigma are
Angela Atwood, Tetan Bran-
nen, Carrie Clayton, Jessica
Conicelli, Michelle Dillman,
Jenni Drew, Lee Gamer, Ka
trina Holloman, Stephanie
Jessup, Sarah Lynn Joyner,
Amber Lumley, Catherine
Markijohn, Christi McK
ee, Rebekah Meek, Lauren
Midgett, Teresa Nichols,
Jennifer Niland, Megan
Shore, Amy Smith, Rebekah
Taylor and Elizabeth Yaros.
that New York City event
was Dan Maguire, author of
the 2001 "'Sacred Choices:
The Right to Contraception
and Abortion in Ten World
Religions." His book traces
pro-choice passages and in
terpretations throughout the
texts of many major reli
gions. From Catholicism to
Hinduism to Buddhism, the
Maguire finds references that
either value the life of the
mother over that of the fetus,
or that define life as begin
ning after birth. His book,
along with Sanger’s, allows
us to discuss the history
and the future of reproduc
tive rights and ethics in the
context of the 21st century.
COME TO THE
COLLEGE
REPUBLICAN/
COLLEGE DEMOCRAT
DEBATE!
Who? College Republicans/
College Democrats
What? A great debate!
When? Tuesday,
October 26, 7 p.m.
Where? Kresge Auditorum
Topics: environment, health
care, Iraq, economy
BE THERE!