Some interesting things...
My opinion of the UCSB Daily Nexus is not very high... and this is largely due to many, many reasons, not the least of which is their recent embrace of obscene and pornographic writing over the past couple of years. But I want to comment on a couple of their reflections of some of the California issues in next week's election.
First, it's interesting that they are endorsing Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. That's the first time I've seen them support a Republican of any stripe... not that it's saying much.
But here's what they say about Proposition 85, which will require parental notification for minors seeking abortions in the state:
This proposition puts unnecessary pressure on young pregnant girls and could lead these individuals to seek illegal abortions. While it would be nice if all parents could be involved in their children?s lives, certain exceptions prove parental notification to be dangerous. Prop 85 does not account for abusive parents who would kick their daughters out of their homes or for victims of incest.Well, that's just it, isn't it. If a girl lives in an abusive situation at home, what is the alternative? Why it would be the status quo. Give the girl the (dangerous, unsafe, medically unregulated, yet legal) abortion she seeks, and then return her back into that abusive living environment... no questions asked. Not a chance - that solution is not sufficient. If a young woman is in an abusive situation, then she needs to be removed from that harmful environment. I believe Prop. 85 actually facilitates this rather than protecting the status quo. Yes, it involves the law. But protecting children often does -- that's why we have the law and child protection.
(Of course many of us already believe, as the early American feminists believed, that abortion, even when it's legal, is the ultimate form of oppression of women).
The Nexus then endorses Diane Feinstein (no surprise there), saying this:
Feinstein has, for the most part, championed everything that Californians believe in. She is for education, the environment, a woman?s right to choose and embryonic stem cell research. Meanwhile, Mountjoy does not embody California?s generally liberal attitude.Is California really that liberal? It may surprise you to know that Kerry won California by only 55%. Would you call that a landslide victory? It is true that California's largest cities generally come out in favor of abortion. But it isn't generally true for California as a whole. Of course, if you oppose abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, you must oppose education and the environment as well, right? ;p Of course, those of us who endorse medically proven stem-cell research that doesn't involve the destruction of human embryos are told to "Shut up! There's no room for discussion, here!" Bleh...
