George,

Here are some miscellaneous thoughts triggered by your presentation of the anti-choice, Christian-Right perspective.

First, I am not a Christian. I do, however, believe that ideally, love should be a life long commitment, not a passing fondness, and that to be cherished by one lover for life is wonderful and fortunate. (I, female, have been married to the same man for 38 years.)

Next, a statistic, The lowest rate of divorce is in the state of Massachusetts -- 5.7 divorces per 1000 marriages; the highest rate of divorce is in Arkansas -- 12.7 divorces per 1000 marriages. I do not know the precise statistics on abortion, nor the numbers, state by state. But the number of abortions went down when Clinton was president; the numbers have gone back up in the last 4 years. There are many possibile interpretations of these facts?

Ideals: it is important to remember the ideal and to aim for the ideal. But one must still plan for reality. The reality is that unmarried teenages have sex, always have and always will. Teach them to abstain, but if they choose to rebel, teach them about save sex and teach them about birth control. It's like seat belts and air bags in cars.

Another reality is that accidents do happen. Poor married women with many children need to have someplace safe to go to for counselling and safe abortion, if they so choose.

An ugly fact: women and children are raped, and some of these rapes result in pregnancy. It is important that experienced doctors are availble to provide safe, guilt free abortions to the girls and women who have suffered such violence.

Planned Parenthood did not create sex, and it did not create the highly sexualized climate in which the young are exposed to movies, videos and TV programs that have no redeeming features. Planned Parenthoods goal, to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and thus remove the need for abortions, is ignored by its opponents.

The Christian-Right's view, that Planned Parenthood teaches promiscuity and profits from it, is as wrong as it's notion that if abortion is made illegal, there will be no more abortions.

Ruth Barolsky (electronic mail, November 14, 2004)

Editor's Note: In a recent email (November 12, 2004), I said, "I believe part of the vote against Kerry in the recent election came from Christian conservatives who see themselves and their values 'under seige' and that this can be illustrated in part by the negative reaction by some to the new Planned Parenthood facility on Hydraulic road not too far away from Albemarle High School" - who believe that Planned Parenthood teaches promiscuity and profits from it.

I added, "In a world where we are all bombarded with conflicting messages about what to believe and what to think, I can understand the wish by parent to insulate their children from what they believe will bring them to harm and would suggest that this is becoming increasingly difficult in an interconnecting and interdependent world."

I then asked, "What do you think is the solution for parents who find themselves under seige? How do you believe the cultural divide might be breached?"

Ruth Barolsky's comments are a response to this email. For more, see also, Joe Clancy Comments on Planned Parenthood, Moral Values and Breaching the Cultural Divide.