ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997 TAG: 9704100002
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
Teen's trauma could have been avoided
AS I READ your March 24 news article, "No simple answers: The story of a teen-ager's abortion," I thought of all the pain associated with this unfortunate situation that could have been avoided.
If this girl had abstained from sexual intercourse until marriage, this situation would not have occurred. We need to teach our children the consequences of trying to have the privileges of marriage without assuming responsibilities of marriage. To sanction premarital sex by providing birth-control pills to a teen is a disaster in the making.
The parents and boyfriend should have been more supportive of her wish to continue her pregnancy, and should not have compounded the problem by encouraging her to have an abortion. The mother's response was very revealing. She said, ``I just would love to put this on the shelf and have everyone be normal and go on. ...'' The problem is that everyone involved is affected by what happened and things will never be the same.
The daughter expressed ambivalence about her decision and said she was ``disturbed'' about what happened. Taking an innocent baby's life is disturbing. Fortunately, she sought forgiveness from God since he is the only one who can deal with the pain and long-term consequences.
As parents, we need to teach our children to esteem sexual purity, give them reasons to value the covenant of marriage, and protect them from emotional, physical and spiritual consequences that occur from engaging in premarital sexual activity.
AUSTIN SPRUILL
ROANOKE
Garland's column has been a `must read'
YOUR MARCH 7 editorial (``Taking a break from writing's rigors'') announced columnist Ray L. Garland's retirement (or sabbatical).
After serving 12 years in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, he began writing a column on the political scene in Virginia from the perspective of a conservative and a former Republican officeholder. In 12 years, he wrote more than 600 columns that were published in 22 newspapers serving Virginia and environs. Now he has the audacity to retire.
I'm not one to impede upward mobility for any employee, public official or citizen. And retirement is upward as long as it isn't forced. But his is premature for those who appreciate his columns.
As a government employee, I'm apolitical by law. I've voted for some Democrats and some Republicans. My perspective is generally that of a middle-of-the-road person who eschews both the far right and the liberal left. Garland is right of me, but not on all issues.
We progressives (some say liberals, but I deny that) need to read responsible conservative commentary as a check on our own impulses. In the past 12 years, two commentators above all others have provided that in Virginia newspapers: Jack Kilpatrick and Garland.
Garland is a very intelligent and educated student of history and politics, and he consistently brought that to his columns. He steadfastly proclaimed his conservative perspective, which has given readers fair notice of his starting place. While he occasionally skewered ``the sainted Mr. Robb,'' he also criticized Republican officeholders when they deserved it. His column has been a ``must read.''
I regret the decision by one of your finest columnists. Say it ain't so, Ray, and come back to grace these pages again.
JIM COSBY
ROANOKE
Put teens to work picking up trash
MANY middle-aged people and older residents turned out recently on Clean Valley Day to help pick up trash thrown by some who couldn't care less about anti-littering rules or laws or about anyone or anything other than their own precious ``civil rights.''
Many of those who helped pick up trash ended up with extremely sore muscles from bending over. Why not pay some unemployed individuals or, better yet, compel some delinquent, undisciplined teen-agers to do this job instead of putting them in jail with hardened criminals?
DOROTHY BASSETT
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB