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Victory For Women

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Robert N. Rader

Published: September 8, 2008

The selection of Sarah Palin as a vice presidential running mate is a victory for women, and rightfully so.

However, there are serious questions about her beliefs that can cause concerns in our secular society.

When a politician feels that his or her religious beliefs should become the law, then we should closely examine those beliefs and question whether they should be allowed to overthrow our constitution.

That constitution emphatically states that there should be freedom for all to practice their own religious beliefs, but not be forced to follow those of others.

Both parties have stated that family matters should not be part of a political campaign, and there is some validity in that.

However, when family matters directly affect the way a candidate will govern, they deserve to be discussed. Mrs. Palin believes that teenagers should be taught chastity. She does not believe in teaching safe sex or the use of birth control measures. Reliable statistics show that teens who pledge abstinence are actually more likely to become sexually active than those who do not pledge.

One out of four sexually active teens have sexually transmitted diseases because they do not practice safe sex or were never warned to do so. Some of these STDs are incurable and will adversely affect the teen and their children throughout their lifetimes.

Mrs. Palin does not believe in stem cell research. If such research is halted she will be condemning millions, including possibly her own offspring, to illness or death from conditions that can most probably be relieved or cured from this research.

Many polls have shown that 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Catholics, favor a woman's right control her own life. Yet Mrs. Palin is dedicated to overthrow that right.

Robert N. Rader
Lake Placid

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