First I'd like to say I'd like some input from Gene on this subject. I think abortion is a medical issue and not a political issue and therefore I would prefer a guy like Gene make the call as to whether or not an abortion is performed on a minor. I don't mean to say Gene should rule on this, I mean this sort of decision should be a doctor's to make not a politician's. My question to Gene would be, could a doctor or hospital have a policy which states it will not perform an abortion, or other operation for that matter, on a minor without some form of consent, parental or otherwise? I would think there is a rather high liability issue with regards to performing any sort of procedure on a minor without consent. A doctor or healthcare facility could be opening themselves up to serious litigation. So, this sort of thing I would think could be handled at that level rather than wasting tax dollars on having politicians and the court system debate an issue which really is not in their realm. Don't know if you can see that point or not Pat.
See, I don't think there's any place for laws that are put in place only to placate certain moral or ethical issues of certain members of a community. I know you didn't like the politically correct label being thrown at you but that's exactly where you're coming down on this. You're giving us your emotional take on an issue that involves your speculation as to how this will effect, children, the community, parents, etc...so it's along the lines of saying you support "affirmative action" because you believe it's the right thing to do. Whether you like it or not you're supporting the government spend money addressing a social issue which is not a crisis for us but a matter of "moral outrage". The court left the emotions out and ruled accordingly based on the law. You're entering your emotions as part of the equation and saying you think because it's "morally outrageous" to you, they are wrong. If rulings were all made on emotion and on certain groups "good intentions" what a mess we would have...Pat's acting liberal here...wow!
It's funny I have to play conservative on this one but I'm the one calling for a cease and desist on wasting our tax dollars on a social issue.
Reg: You are involving your own moral and ethical bias and that's why it makes no sense to you.
PB: I would say that is COMMON SENSE there Reg
I'm not sure what you meant by this Pat. Is your "COMMON SENSE" quote in response to my quote above it? Because I really don't know what you are refering to as common sense. That certainly would not be common sense if that's what you meant.
PB: Politically Correct is a left wing term. As you know I lean right so that would not be my reasoning. I've done plenty of study and it was not the left that made this country strong and prosperous. Quite the opposite.
Frankly, I don't see any sort of reasoning at all. You of all the guys that post for the right around here seem to be the one that just tows the party line and spews Republican dogma. I'll give you credit for the occasional knock on Bush but honestly the guy is such a screw up only total blind devotion to him would be an excuse not to criticize him. You also seem to live under the illusion that all left wingers are complete nonsense spewing wackos that only exist to hate the right and call them Nazis. When someone on the left points out an issue with the current administration, you dismiss it right away with, "You're all a bunch of Bush haters that don't represent the mainstream"...pretty much stereotyping the left as quickly as you can. I know your argument will always be "This boards full of left wingers" you've already said as much but I think you politicize and polarize arguments here faster than anyone who claims to represent the left on this board. You seem to think in stereotypes, characterizations, and black & white more than anyone who posts here. I appreciate getting a conservative veiwpoint on an issue, when it's well thought out, even if I don't agree, I like the balance of hearing both sides. The world is full of gray areas, you seem to dismiss these because "There ain't no gray area's in Tejas"...pretty damn thoughtful and full of insight.
"Dont need to get into her thought processes but the point I was making is that maturity might greatly influence her decision and an 11 year old does not have the maturity to make that decision. She will feel quite differently about that decision say at 21."
See, that's the sort of thought process that'll get a guy like Kevin from Arizona worked up. You don't need to consider another persons thought process because you're positive that Pat Brown is right. Seems to be all about fitting an agenda, not giving an issue it's due process. My take on that statement is now you've left the issue behind and entered the land of opinion. So, it's like we were fighting over "I say 11 year old's are as mature as 14 year olds"..."No I say they're not"...well who's right? Nobody, because they are just blanket statements of opinion. Some 11 year olds are more mature than some 14 year olds...you'd have to go case by case. You never seem to like that color gray though.
"Not to worry Dale the respondants of this board do not represent an even close majority to the way America thinks. And I thank God for that!"
This is still my favorite comment from you because I think it most represents where you come from on everything you comment on. You dismiss the majority of the people here as "out of touch with the majority of Americans" and again you'll say I don't see it that way because you think I'm some hardcore lefty. The fact is I'm not. I could care less about party lines and both the left and right are plagued by morons, it's most disturbing to me that elections are so often about which foot you want to shoot yourself in.
"Well Reg that makes perfect sense since about 95% of the board lean left of center. Your at home here. You tolerate my
opinions and you are civil"
Here we are again, Pat Brown has made his determination on Reg and the rest of the board. I like the people and debates here because there seems to be a lot of thought put into them. Baerwald board posters seem to do their homework on the issues. I think that's rare. For that reason alone I wish the people here represented the majority of America. I also think there's a higher level of civility in the discussions than you find in other places. I agree with you though, they don't represent the majority because I think the majority is far less informed. It's too bad. Oh, and yes, like you I believe the majority makes snap judgements based on their emotion and not on an actual hard look at the info. I don't just tolerate you Pat, I want to hear what you've got to say...I take it for what it is though and it doesn't really matter what I think about it. Your opinions and arguments only reflect who you are. What do I think? I think you're confused but I don't think you're dangerous. Ha!
Reg
