Republicans Do Care About Life After Birth
Jason LaMar

I would like to respond to Beau Winiger's article of November 14 concerning the fact that the only life Republicans care about is that of the unborn life. While it is true we stand behind the most defenseless life of all, we also care about the litany of issues he [Beau Winniger, USI Campus Newspaper Contributor] rather sarcastically claims that we dismiss. They are too numerous to discuss in one letter so I will choose two of them.

The first issue is that we don't care enough about kids to teach them about safe sex. Teaching safe sex, despite its good intentions, has failed miserably because there is no such thing. Today, we have a much bigger problem than just unwanted pregnancies. Because of STD's, especially AIDS, sex with the wrong person can be deadly. Safe sex would stress using a condom, but with the failure rate of up to 20% (Current Issues and Enduring Questions, English 201 text) is that a caring thing to teach or is abstinence a better way? Putting it differently, would you get into a plane or put kids in a plane with a 1 in 5 chance of it crashing?

A second issue is that Republicans don't care about people, because we don't want universal health care. When health care is socialized, everyone gets a little, but no one receives much. Using Canada as an example, one finds long waiting periods for even routine medical procedures. The elderly receive even less care because they are not "priority." I personally know a physician who came from Canada to practice medicine in the U.S. At the time he came, there were as many CT scans in Evansvile as perhaps in all of Canada. Socialism has proven not to be the answer.

Finally, as a founding member of College Republicans, let me tell you that I do care about people. I helped in our first fundraiser, most of which went to the Red Cross for 911 victim's families. I have volunteered several times to help serve food to homeless men at the Evansville Rescue Mission. In high school I worked with, and mentored, junior high kids and was a camp counselor for the same. I have also taught junior high kids at my church. I would respectfully ask Beau to consider that I do care about life, even life after birth.