Reproductive Health Care?
In contentious issues, partisans often create slogans intended to put their position in a favorable light. One that has gained much currency is “reproductive health care” as a synonym for abortion access.
To my mind, reproductive health care is when the pregnant woman is cautioned to not smoke or drink and also to get some exercise. Her doctor will likely encourage her to eat a good diet with a list of what to include or avoid. If a medical problem develops, he will provide appropriate medical intervention. He will schedule office visits to monitor the status of this woman’s reproductive progress. The goal of all this reproductive health care is to have a healthy baby delivered at full term.
People who say “reproductive health care” when they are actually talking about abortion mean none of the above. Their goal is to ensure access to abortion so that the baby can be terminated. Talk about twisting the language.
Herm Faubl
Sun City resident
My apologies to my son Christopher.
Your mom and I paid for the four years of your college education with the money we saved for 25 years. You chose to further your education to obtain a Master Degree in Administration and secured student loans while working and studying. With your respect for the student loan process, you lived and worked diligently and in three years paid off your 60-thousand-dollar student loans.
I apologize to you for raising you in the respectable manor that we did. We taught you to respect your principles and honor your debts. Looking back, I wish now that we allowed the government to function as your financial parent. Your loans would have been paid off and you could have had a social life to replace those three years living in our basement while repaying your obligations. Son. I should have raised you Democrat.
Dad.
Larry Casey
Huntley resident
Funny â I read TR Kerthâs column on Aug 25 and thought his comments were both wise and perceptive. Another reader, David Applegate, wrote in stating he wanted to correct âmultiple factual errorsâ âthen proceeded to make claims that were both misleading, false and outright insulting.
For example, it seems deceptive and dangerous to resist sensible gun safety measures by arguing that âtragedies like the Highland Park shootingsâŚare extremely rare.â (Are they really?) Arguing that sales of AR15s shouldnât be discouraged because these guns are popular and donât kill as many victims as handguns would hardly be acceptable to the many victims (and their families) who have been killed by AR-15s in schools, movie theaters and even churches- in this past year alone.
Applegate then deceptively accused Kerth of âproselytizingâ in favor of abortion. Kerth did clearly point out while no one is pro-abortion, in some situations abortion can be the right and compassionate choice a woman and her family can make. One can certainly support reproductive rights (In fact the majority of Americans do) without being accused of preaching. Most agree it is a private matter and a decision that must be made by a women, her family and doctor.
Finally, Applegateâs comments were insulting, insinuating teachers of kindergarteners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders are teaching âvarious permutations of sexual attractions.â I would ask what proof has lead to such allegations? While such scary claims can help politicians to stir up fear and motivate their âbaseâ to assume the worst, it certainly doesnât help teachers nor foster the trust needed to ensure good education. Itâs no wonder that teachers are leaving the classroom especially in FL with its new politically-motivated restrictions on educators.
I will end by restating my support of TR Kerthâs wise and witty column. His latest column (Sept 8), providing great examples of how both children and adults live up (or down) to expectations, was excellent!
Respectfully submitted,
Joan Davis
Sun City resident
Dear neighbors, you may be aware of how few butterflies appeared this year. I have lived in Del Webb for over 14 years and, due to my hobby (obsession) of collecting Monarch butterfly eggs, I am well aware of their diminishing numbers. This year saw the lowest numbers for myself and other gatherers; I (sadly) joked that this year I had to âpoachâ eggs from public areas. My Monarch eggs go to âboarding schoolâ at the butterfly house at Veteransâ Acres Park in Crystal Lake. Last year they released over 50 butterflies from me; this year, 18 total.
Monarch eggs have only a 10 percent chance of survival in the wild, and recently were put on the Endangered Species list. One way we can help the migratory Monarchs and other pollinators is to plant milkweed plants among our flowers. The director of the butterfly house, Kim suggested that I ask my neighbors to add bunches of milkweed plants in their flower gardens. Monarch mamas, she said, need to find nectar, their food, but if the milkweed is too far from the flowers, no babies. Mamas also look for bunches of milkweed plants, to ensure food and future places for eggs for the next wave of butterflies.
We have seen the habitats for pollinators diminish in Huntley, as native meadows are âshaved and paved,â but I recently found some hope after a brief visit to Beaver Dam Lake in Wisconsin. Farmers had been encouraged to leave native plants with milkweed in gullies and unplowable areas and the suburban homes had gardens with flowers and milkweed. All this season I have seen eight Monarchs in McHenry County driving most days to work; in the few days we were in that area we saw over two dozen Monarchs and multiple butterflies. So, please consider allowing a few bunches of milkweed plants in your gardens, and visit the butterfly house if you are interested in learning more about those incredible little travelers.
Janice Spangler
Sun City resident
Mr. Applegate was doing okay with his 9-27 rebuttal letter until he began spouting NRA talking points regarding assault weapons.
To claim that no one can accurately define an assault weapon is absurd. His letter really becomes ridiculous when he writes that the Highland Park incident was extremely rare. Where has Mr. Applegate been living for the past 25 Years?
Instead of facts, Mr. Applegate gives us NRA propaganda about assault weapons.
Victor Darst
Huntley resident
The demands that the Democrats are imposing on school children are very unhealthy and will have profound effects on their lifelong psyches.
CRT (Critical Race Theory) and Gender Dysphoria are telling children that they are not good enough, due to the color of their skin and gender. CRT divides children by race and tells some that they and their families are oppressed and tell others that they are the oppressors. This is designed to divide people and to make more people racist. There is a lot of money and power to be made by adults who race hustle.
The gender game tells children that if they are not happy with their gender, they can change it, even by hormone puberty blockers and by mutilating surgery. How would a child even know what a girl or boy feels like, unless an adult is feeding them very damaging stereotypical information?
These things can cause children to hate themselves and others.
This is what is being taught to very young children in our schools now or by January 2023.
Please vote for Catalina Lauf for US Representative in District 11. Catalina supports Parents’ Rights and Childrenâs well-being.
Donna Roche
Sun City, Huntley
