let the gays marry. however - this issue is like #40 as far as important issues that the federal government should be tackling. we should let states decides how they want to handle gay marriage.

gays have very few abortions.

I seriously don't understand why anybody gives a shit of gays get married.

I am, however, starting to condone the rounding up of religious people and slaughtering them in a public square.

ooooooooo. me first.

I'll let you know when "my people" are in your area. And thanks for making our job so much easier.

this is so not true. that office fields over 100 calls a day with women asking for information. since the only clinic is in jackson, transportation is a huge issue for many of these women. the state has a mandate that the woman speak with a doctor to discuss her options and then wait at least 24 hours before an abortion can be performed. so women have to arrange to take a day off work, possibly arrange childcare and then transportation to jackson for at least 2 days. and then all of this has to coordinate with the doctors who are flying in 2-3 days a week to perform these abortions. this is an impossible
feat for most women living outside of the jackson area.

whether the demand is "high" (which it is) or not should not determine a woman's right to quality health care.

in terms of the issues of the state, the legislature is so busy spending time working to close down the last clinic (it was stated as such in this piece) i'm sure many of these issues go neglected.

let's hold a lottery. he who cast the first stone will be happiest first.

i'm not talking about misconceptions here. this is very real. one clinic for the entire state due to proactive legislation. that is simply inadequate health care and is approved by the state.

this is not an eveybody in the south sounds dumb post so don't turn it into that.

It's a cultural norm to be poor with lots of kids at a young age in the South. And high percentage of the population is religious and wouldn't consider it. I know absolutely zero people who have had an abortion. I know hundreds of people who've had children at times when abortion could have been considered an option. I've also worked (help provide assistance) with people who've had 4 to 6 six kids before they're 24.

are you new to the states? (wink)

Laura was stating a fact. Check it out.

I didn't see the piece but I'm sure it didn't really grasp the issue at hand. But fundamentally you are asserting that healthcare is the responsiblity of the state but only one state provides healthcare for all it's citizens. LOUISIANA! Mississippi does not. And the issues of public education has nothing to with time allocation and the comparative amount of resources this situtions uses. And who isn't taking off of work to have a medical procedure?

do you think its possible that a lot of people are having abortions, it is just more taboo to talk about openly?

a cultural norm. okay.
well, i've said all i'm gonna say. this is where the discussion runs into a vicious circle.

back to the gays.

Who knows more about public education in the rural south? Laura, a graphic design/artist from Boston who has absolutely zero experience of even being in the south or me who is currently working with two organizations to provide literacy programs as we speak and Saved a public school teacher in the South. hmmm.,

Something's got to give.

wow, YOU do. you really do.

I never doubted your accomplishments Tanner, but Saved getting his certificate to teach our youth is a travesty. It's clear, he's a bigot and he shouldn't be in a classroom influencing our future generations.

Damn those inconvenient and pesky Fetus(es).

sorry. I should abstain from responding if I am not gonna add anything. I couldn't resist.

In affluent circles, yes but they're not exactly the target population for Laura's issue with the clinic. They have access to resources and can afford to go to Jackson. The impoverished are not considering abortion and why would they? They don't have careers, iit's socially acceptable, and it cost $$$ that they don't have on hand.

this is an amazing statement and it somehow calms me.

yeah you are probably right. there is a noticeable difference in the age at which people get married and start families in the south as compared to here. most of my wife's friends and family were married and had kids by the time we started dating at 23 years old. you should see the looks we get when people find out we are 31/32 and dont have kids.

and by the way - dont know if the rural south is all that different than the rural west. i typically base my opinions on the rural south on the f'd up stuff that happens around here and figure it cant be that much different.

Well, I have a Masters degree in Public Administration and work with these issues and see it first hand almost daily. If I were a poor girl looking for help in Louisiana, I would come to me. But I bet you could direct them to some fine art galleries to spruce up the government housing. Maybe just maybe things aren't exactly what Liberal World Journal reports and you can't project you're northeastern values everywhere.

Oh geez. This thread is going nowhere fast.

knows she shouldn't get involved...



Guess that's something you'd never have to deal with...

Assuming you "abstain" from other activities unless you're intending to make a baby...

Oh... but even then if you didn't abstain, were careful, but had an accident, were poor, and already had 6 kids before the age of 24, you still wouldn't have to ever deal with it... because you're a man.

Not trying to be mean. It's just the god's honest truth.