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Show Woke up Utah, be responsible The abortion bill passed by the Utah Legislature and expected to undergo a Supreme Court test before it goes into effect, is fair and opponents on both sides are wrong. Utah's existing abortion bill is too liberal. Under the current statute, all a woman needs to do to get a legal abortion in Utah is show up at an approved medical center while she is less than 21 weeks pregnant. The other caveats included includ-ed parental consent if 17 years old or younger, and husband's consent if married or separated. (V JENSEN I j 1 Asst. Managing Editor Pro-abortionists believe anything less than that is unacceptable. Arguments have been heard that if the 4,100 abortions performed in the state last year had not been done, the state could not have taken care of the "unwanted" children. That's ridiculous. Utah's birth rate is the lowest ever. Today fewer children are being born in Utah than ten years ago. Utah has always been able to take care of all of its children. But should we completely eliminate elim-inate abortion? That idea is just as ridiculous. Of course a woman should not be forced to carry a fetus her doctor has determined will die at birth. Why demand a woman suffer that pain for nine months? She deserves a choice. Of course a woman should not be forced to give her life or her health for a pregnancy. pregnan-cy. Of course a child should not be forced to have a child. And of course pregnancy that comes as a result of rape or incest should not be mandatory. These exceptions are just common com-mon sense. The psychological damage Jl child would suffer knowing her mother had died to give him life would be incalculable. A child born as a result of rape or incest may be physically or mentally abused. Be reasonable. Legal abortion cannot be totally eliminated. But what about abortions done for convenience or to avoid embarrassment em-barrassment or public ridicule? If a woman doesn't want to have a child, it is her responsibility to prevent pregnancy. If a woman does not want her career interrupted by the "inconvenience" of a pregnancy, she should avoid pregnancy. Preaching morals to teens is missing its mark if teens seek the solution of eliminating the evidence of their immorality by abortion. Morality cannot be legislated Parents who view the question as a religious issue should teach their children that the "sin" is not the baby. Most religions believe a baby is a gift from God. More energy should be concentrated in teaching teens to avoid the "sin" than to avoid the pregnancy. Wake up, Utah. Be reasonable. We're trying to find a black or white answer to a gray question. Women complain men are deciding what they can do with their bodies. That's ridiculous. Any woman who is not bright enough to understand how pregnancy occurs should be allowed an abortion, but those who are cognizant enough to show up for a protest, it appears are intelligent enough to know how to avoid pregnancy. Women are refusing refus-ing to take the responsibility which once again forces men to think for them. Come on, ladies. Get control of your life. Stop making posters and start making sense. If you take charge and eliminate unwanted pregnancy, the question of abortion will be solved. Then perhaps you can put your considerable energy and talent into a problem that does not have such a simple solution. |