Show v WiX ili 1 im m i m m 1 11 1 It N s To o Me MeDy 01 Dy Oy Joseph II H. H Roberts RobertsA f. f y A practical view on abortions Some c commentators have praised the sound reasoning of the US U.S. Supreme Court In its ruling t that at states are not r Best opinion of safety safely officials at t this ibis ls time is that the pattern of accidents for mopeds is about the same sam same as as for motorcycles rather than bicycles While the National l Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still considering na national ti onal regulations n governing use of mopeds it may my well base final nationwide standards on those YN New New York State It Iti is i iii expected ted that other states will also fashion their own laws lawson on that of New NewYork York which is thus far the in most st demanding of any ny of ot the Ule r regulatory systems in inthe inthe the thel country lU trY New York rules call for registration and insurance for any mOPE moped l that can go more than 17 miles an an n hour and drivers drivel of vf vehicles able to trave travel more more than 30 miles an are re re required to have a driving license and wear a helmet helme Certain other states haye Ve reneged i reneged eged on t the e helmet question because businessmen using moped J dJ for commuting to their jobs job kicked about wearing the head protectors their suits An overall U provision for New York fl is- is that they be at least y years rs old Mopeds not gea geared d for or more mor than 17 miles an ar hour are free e of restrictions in th that t state te A AN ENERGY NER Y SA SAVER VER w Wj I a motor bicycle is in inexpensive ipe ive to t to run has as long been heen a possibility as part of our national transportation pattern the intensifying ying drive to conserve conserve conserve con con- serve energy has helped rush the m moped Ped to to c center nt r state Its manufacturers recognizing that th their ir time has finally come comein in in the United States have stepped up their drive to popularize this saving money-saving type of vehicle The possibilities for reasonably ly dy short commuting trips pr are are immedi i t l evident and young homemakers could surely do most of their neighborhood neighborhood neigh neigh- shopping and visiting via the moped at a remarkably low cost Since President Carter Carler shows every sign of continuing his drive to save energy the moped should hould benefit accordingly The Motorized I bicycle Association Ilk I Connecticut Ave NW Wash D D. C C. has issued a aI alook I wok look of moped tips called Motorized Bicycling Made Safe and Sensible This is free of charge and should be helpful for people considering the moped for their own use obliged to provide Medicaid funding for indigent women seeking abortions President Carter has defended the discriminatory aspect of the ruling by observing There are many things in life that are not fair that wealthy people can afford and poor people cant can't But I dont don't believe that the federal government should take act action on to try to make these opportunities exactly equal particularly when there is a amoral amoral amoral moral factor involved I am tempted to point out that Carters Carter's reasoning could be applied to housing education health care equal employment and other federal programs but butI I wont won't I will leave that to the egalitarians Right now I want to discuss the sound reasoning demonstrated by bythe bythe bythe the Court FROM t A dollars and cents standpoint it can hardly be called sound The cost of an abortion for a poor woman is about Should the state refuse to pay for an abortion it will pay anywhere from to 1000 for the woman to have the child This is nothing however compared to what the state will pay to raise the child to lo adulthood A conservation estimate gives the cost for each child in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program to be to for the first 17 years of its life The huge program already imposes an intolerable burden on taxpayers This year it will cost us 40 billion to support 36 million families million people in the program If the states elect to follow the Supreme Courts Court's leadership and many have indicated they will the problem will be compounded State Stale welfare agencies report that over half the women who obtained Medicaid funding for abortions in the past have been under the age of 21 These teenagers were at al least given the opportunity to finish their schooling schooling and gera get a job without being tied down by motherhood Now they will not be given a second chance They will bear their children and become mothers before they know that it means to be adults If they keep their babies and many will they will join the swelling ranks of those in the program where they may remain in the rest of their lives How flow President Carters Carter's solution to the problem will affect the program is not clear I suspect however it will increase the number of families on as well as the number of children the public must support while adding a half billion dollars or more to our welfare costs Carter Carler has proposed that the government pay for the maternity expenses of poor women who chose to bear their children and give give Y them up for adoption rather than have abortions Then he proposes federal subsidies to needy families that will adopt the children and matching funds to states that improve their foster care programs At first glance this seems a neat solution The women will have their babies but not nol have to keep them so everybody should be happy But what about the needy families that adopt these hard to place children Wont Won't they become eligible for Will people by a desire for federal subsidies provide loving care or custodial services for forthe forthe forthe the children And how much more will the program cost us HEW SECRETARY Joseph JosephA A A. Califano Jr said the plan would provide a couple co of thousand do dollars lars a ay year ar t to the families That doesn't sound like much until we note nole th there re are already children in foster homes and institutions ns We can predict about more each year if free abortions are eliminated Califano guessed we will spend million in adoption subsidies and million a year to develop better foster care facilities in the states Maybe the Supreme Court made a Constitutionally sound decision but its reasoning was fiscally irresponsible So is President Car Carters Carter's ers er's solution |