Proposition 4...

Oh snap, this girl must have lost her mind.....

Let me preface this post by saying that I am pro-life however, laws that allow abortion aren't the reason why so many youth are getting abortions. Proposition 4 is another proposition on the ballot that we should pay close attention to. What I desire most is that people can see the bigger picture.

An e-mail from a very wise friend prompted this post and I agree with him that there must be more to a politician than just being "pro-life" and that these things must be brought into the public square. I think that there are many factors that compel a person to abort a child and many of these can be prevented. I don't want a politician who is simply going to make a law banning abortions; I want a politician that can see the bigger picture and legislation that will address issues such as poverty and inadequate sex education.

There is a direct correlation between abortion rates and poverty. Those who are most frequently getting abortions are youth from low socioeconomic homes.

The United States leads virtually all other industrialized countries in std rates, pregnancy rates, and abortion rates. Why? Because, nearly all other industrialized countries have comprehensive sex education programs in their schools. Adolescents in the U.S. aren't having sex at a greater rate than other countries but rather our sex education is lacking. Although abstinence is ideal, the fact of the matter is that 48% of high school students have had sex and 15% have had 4 or more sexual partners. In 2007 39% of currently sexually active adolescents did not use a condom (CDC). The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is over 5 times that of the Netherlands, 4 times that of Germany, and over three times that of France. U.S. teens account for 71% of all teenage births occurring in all developed countries. The U.S. teen birth rate is 9 times higher than the Netherlands, 4 times higher than France and Germany. Furthermore, the abortion rate in the U.S is twice that of Germany and the Netherlands (National Abortion Registration, 2005). Lastly, it has been estimated that the public costs associated with teen births in the U.S were at least $9.1 billion in 2004. That is approximately $1,430 per child born to a teen mother per year (The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington DC: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended Pregnancy, 2006)

If the U.S rates equaled those in France the number of U.S. teen pregnancies would be reduced by 51,5000; the number of teen births would be reduced by 333,000; and the number of U.S. teen abortions would be reduced by 8,000. If the U.S. rates equaled those in the Netherlands, teen pregnancies would be reduced by 617,000; the number of teen births would be reduced by 379,000; and the number of teen pregnancies would be reduced by 75,000 (Advocates for Youth).

If the U.S. birth rates in 2004 equaled those in the Netherlands, the U.S. annual public savings in 2004 would have equaled $541,970,000. That's money we could have given to AIG for another posh company outing...

There are bigger things at work than laws that allow youth to get abortions. There are preventable things that will significantly reduce the abortion rates and teen pregnancies. Where is the politician that is going to fight for these things?

What is more effective than anti abortion laws and abstinence only sex education? These aren't my original ideas but rather facts and ideas that I have come across through much research.
1. A vast majority of European countries are sex positive; meaning, that they aren't fearful of sex, they don't treat it as a scary, dangerous and taboo thing. This sex positive attitude allows for better communication between parents and their children.
2. European adults expect their youth to act responsibly and governments strongly support education and self-sufficiency for their young people.
3. European governments support massive long-term campaigns and work with schools and the media to educate youth on all types of preventative measures.
4. Accurate and reliable Sexual health information is easily available to youth and youth have convenient access to free or low-cost contraceptives through national health care.
5. Political and religious interest groups have little influence on public health policy.
6. I'm going to repeat that last one; Political and religious interest groups have little influence on public health policy.

Again, I am not saying that I am in favor of abortions and when/if a friend considers abortion, I would try to convince them otherwise. However, the reality of the world that we live in is that youth are having sex in large numbers whether we'd like to admit it or not. We must educate youth on not only abstinence but all forms of protection; and we must promote healthy dialogue between parents and their children.

Vote No on Prop 8...in response to the post from my buddy...

My buddy said...
"whether it's easy or not to have a "binary" view or opinion on this issue, is irrelevent. it's easy to steal if all you hang out with is thieves. the bible is clear about homosexuality. so why should we as christians separate ourselves from the laws that govern the society that we are a part of? I don't think that God could have sent a more definate message than he did with sodom and gomorrah. God sent Lot, the only righteous man in either city, away from there, and then God himself destroyed the two cities. why? because they had submersed themselves in their homosexual lust.

how much further shall we lead ourselves in this similar direction for the sake of "equal rights", before God becomes so disgusted with us that he finally sends down fire and brimstone?

if someone tries to steal from someone else, we take a stand against that dont we?

if someone commits murder, if someone lies in court, if someone attempts to have multiple husbands/wives, we take a stand against that because we know it to be wrong. God's love for any of those people is as strong as it is for you or me, and it is also our calling to show to those people God's love. but in the same way we are called to stand for what it right, and so we do not support these things; these sinful acts. we fight against them.

we are not spreading God's love by supporting and encouraging homosexuality. we are furthering satan's deception. and in doing so, we point non-believers in the opposite direction of christ.

this is not their world.

this is God's world.

so what are we doing to bring God's kingdom to earth?

He clearly does not condone this behavior. so how is He glorified through our support of it?"


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My Response:
Well, I've prayed long and hard about it and I'm glad that we are friends and can have these conversations. And even more than that, I am glad that you have the balls to counter it. However, I don't believe that God has put the people in my life that He has so that I could see how sinful they were but rather so that I can see how their "sin" is no different than the sins that I commit everyday. Should I be denied rights because I fall short of the Glory of God? Is that justification enough?

Having a binary view on this is the point. Ask a gay person if they chose to be gay. Friend, trust me, if you really, really knew a gay person, you would have a completely different perspective.

God has given us the freedom of choice. He doesn't force himself upon us, so how can we justify forcing Him on other people?

When it comes to public policy, the question we must ask ourselves is whether our religious convictions should determine the rights (under the law) and privileges of those who do not hold our same beliefs. I think that Justice and equality under the law trumps our desire to force our religious values on others because values can not be forced on people through laws and God is the only one who can change hearts. In fact, we are not spreading God's love by perpetuating and encouraging the marginalization of groups who do not adhere to our values, we are not loving our brothers as ourselves.

It is our call to show God's love...but it is impossible to tell people that we love them if we deny them the basic rights that we enjoy.

Don't you remember from history class, "No taxation without representation"? If gay and lesbian people pay taxes (which they do), then they should be granted the same rights. Some of the rights that they are currently denied are:
-Partners being denied Social Security benefits.
-Denial of the privilege to file joint tax returns.
-Denial of food stamps and low-cost housing for gay couples who are poor.
-The refusal of car insurance companies in some states to cover same-sex couples.
-The ability of the court to set aside a homosexual's will so that his or her partner can not receive the intended inheritance.
-Etc. Etc. Etc...
If you want comprehensive run down of all 1,049 benefits, rights, and privileges contingent on marital status you can go to this link: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04353r.pdf

To say that same sex couples who want to be married are submersing themselves in their lust is a long shot. These people are seeking to make a commitment to be faithful to one another. If anything they are strengthening marriage. It is well known that the divorce rate in American is almost 50%....heterosexuals are the ones getting divorced and weakening the nuclear family. Gay people want to get married!

Yes if people commit crimes, we stand against that however we stand against it in a way that is just. "Those" people Friend, are us. Sin is sin as far as God is concerned, none of us are more righteous than the other. We cannot fight against other's sins if we cannot fight against our own. The ten commandments didn't make us sin any less, hence the necessity of the New Testament. It is not that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has caused us to be sinless but rather it has allowed us to be reconciled with God in spite of our sins.

Vote No on Prop 8...

Oh snap I said it...

"Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will."
MLK J.R

Hearts cannot be changed through legislation or laws and the sanctity of marriage has been in jeopardy far before homosexuals began demanding equal rights under the law.

Proponents of Yes on Prop 8 would like people to believe that if this law doesn't pass, Churches will be liable for claims made in opposition of same sex unions and that churches who refuse to marry same sex couples will be at risk of losing their tax exemptions. That is just silly. If Prop 8 doesn't pass, things will stay as they currently are and same sex marriages will be recognized by the state.

If you read the court ruling, it specifically says that, "affording same-sex couples the opportunity to obtain the designation of marriage will not impinge upon the religious freedom of any religious organization, official, or any other person; no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs. (Cal. Const., art. I, § 4.)
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/archive/S147999.PDF

With regards to same sex education being taught in schools, if you check out this link it has actual excerpts from the California Education Code. http://www.kreativekorp.com/edu/prop8text.html

Here are some things to keep in mind when voting...

In 1948 the California Supreme Court, with much controversy ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny interracial couples the right to marry.

Additionally, gay couples are not asking the church to recognize their marriage, they are asking that their marriage be recognized by the state.

Furthermore, it is really easy to have a binary view of things when you aren't in constant interaction with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. I encourage everyone to try to get to know someone in the GLBT community, your view might change.

"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority."
Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.