Family planning funds necessary

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Family planning funds necessary

It would seem that support for contraception would be the common ground between anti- and pro-choice groups in a battle over abortion that continues to rage. Those on both sides would have to agree that the greater the number of planned pregnancies, the lower the number of women seeking abortions.

Yet the County Commission is considering the refusal of more than half a million dollars for federal funding for local family planning - funding which does not even include abortion services. For many who receive the services provided by this much-needed funding, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department is their only source for gynecological and health services.

It is not too late to tell your County Commission that those in our community need access to all available family planning funds. Call to voice your support for accepting these funds (go to www.hamiltontn.gov/commission/ to find your commissioner's phone number).

RACHEL SCHULSON

Food subsidies need to stop

The Sunday editorial on Dr. Vandana Shiva's lecture and the Stier and Simon columns make important comments on the many problems with America's food supply system and the related crisis of American obesity and lowered health.

However, they failed to speak to two core issues.

One is the vast system of government farm and food supply subsidies while large food companies make larger and larger profits. Then we also subsidize people to be able to buy poor and no-nutrition food products.

These subsidies need to stop.

I think local producers will then be much better able to compete to deliver better and more nutritious foods at reasonable prices (that) more people will be willing to pay.

Rather, society, including government, nonprofits, and all industry should better educate people on the value of good nutrition from quality food products, both processed and fresh.

People can easily judge cost, appearance and taste. But nutrition is harder to determine and compare, especially between local and long-distance grown fresh foods.

The food triangle and a label on a bag of potato chips do not motivate good eating choices, especially when bad-nutrition foods are often cheaper and tastier.

JOHN HUBBARD

Trouble sometimes turns people to God

Re: "Why would a good God allow trouble, pain, grief and loss in our lives?" ("Faith and Fury," May 2).

Trouble often turns us to God, both in prayer and to His Word. Many people have discovered that to know Jesus in a personal way has transformed their lives.

One could just keep reading and underlining the Gospel of John until the Holy Spirit reveals truth in a very meaningful way.

MERILYN HALL

Lookout Mountain, Ga.

Support funding for family planning

I am dismayed that county commissioners are considering rejecting a federal grant to fund Hamilton County's family planning services program. Family planning provides a variety of services, including pregnancy testing, prenatal care and contraceptive and reproductive health care. Here are some facts to consider:

1. Family planning provides savings to taxpayers. In an article published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers note that for every $1 spent on family planning services, $3.74 is saved to taxpayers. These savings are simple to understand considering that the cost of one Medicaid-covered birth (federal dollars) was $12,613 in 2008.

2. Family planning does not sponsor or support abortion. Hamilton County's family planning services is not involved in any way with abortion. In fact, family planning helps to prevent abortions by providing education and contraceptive services.

3. A specific response to comments made by Joe Graham. Commissioner Graham's statement ignores the rights of families to decide for themselves when, and whether, to have children. In making this deeply personal decision, many families choose to consult God for guidance. It is exceptionally pretentious of anyone to attempt to take this decision away from families.

I urge residents to contact their county commissioners to support this funding.

S. SPENCER ELG

Don't let guard down after death

There is some sense of relief from the capture and elimination of the longtime feared enemy of America. Killing human beings does not fit into American values. A criminal is always given a benefit of the doubt and a fair trial. Osama bin Laden was given a long time to change his ways, but to him ideology and religion were more important than to live as a civilized human being in the global community.

We must not let our guard down just because Osama is dead. There are many potential Osamas in the Muslim world. It is not that Muslims will follow his legacy, but it is the pattern developed from the late sixth century among the Muslims. Muslims take the teachings of the Quran literally.

Perhaps the worst legacy of Mohammad was his insistence that the Quran is the literal word of Allah and true once for all, thereby closing the possibility of new intellectual ideas and freedom of thought that are the only way the Islamic world is going to stop Osamaism and is going to progress into the 21st century; otherwise Osamas will rise again.

AMOS TAJ

Ooltewah

Pray that God enlightens enemies

The death of the leading terrorist brings voices raised in joyful vengeance. If any of those are Christians, they forget the "Our Father." Unless we forgive others, it tells us, we will not be forgiven.

We may resort to force only if all else fails. Everything else did fail, so a SEAL team was given a task, and did it properly with minimal loss of life. It might have been better to capture and interrogate the terrorist, but that appears to have been impossible. Those who, with weapons in hand, face armed combat troops, cannot expect "discussion."

It is good that the evil instigated by this terrorist leader is ended. But God did not create "evil humans." What caused an Arabian infant to become a hated killer? He was born no more evil than you or me. I believe that the Evil One used him, and he failed to resist. Perhaps he believed that what he did was necessary! Recall that one of Christianity's greatest leaders, Paul, was once Saul of Tarsus, who terrorized the early Church.

Let's pray that God will enlighten our enemies and guide them to peace.

W.J. "BILL"

LAUDEMAN

Family planning not panel business

Local and state governments have stepped backward 100 years with the officials voted in last year. We need to look at what is happening locally and at the state level. If it isn't pro-gun or anti-abortion or gays, then they just aren't concerned.

The County Commission is full of men who can't seem to make a speech without bringing their religious beliefs into every sentence. I understand that is a vote-getter here in the Bible Belt, but please. We need a separation of church and state, and how dare a bunch of men dictate what women can have birth control in this county. They would rather toss aside over a half million dollars from the federal government than have a woman take a morning-after pill. I am sure there will be a huge discussion of if the sperm has met the egg as to what their vote will be, but I assure you I know what my next vote will be.

You cannot legislate morality. Abortion is still legal, and if it is immoral then that should be between the woman and her god, not our County Commission.

JAN BROOKS

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