A different perspective

I read with interest Kathryn Long's Sunday Oct. 18 letter to the editor titled "Parent's Rights." While I can understand Long's concern, I do not agree with her conclusions because I view this problem from the following different perspective:

One of the strongest needs among people is an intimate relationship with other people containing love, acceptance and security. But our society, and especially Hollywood, often portrays the ultimate in intimacy to be a combination of love and sexual attraction. It is true that during times of intense affection Mother Nature has equipped us human beings with strong biological urges to assure the continual existence of the human race.

What many people, and especially young people, fail to realize is that love is often an illusion. We become attracted to the illusion of what we feel another person is or people fall in love with love itself. Added to this are strong biological urges which need to be dealt with on an intellectual level rather than an emotional level. But our society and especially Hollywood often does not help people understand and cope with these important distinctions.

In her letter, Long states that parents may be devastated by the news that their child is pregnant, but these same parents will wrap their loving arms around their pregnant child and give her the love and support she needs to help her through this. This may be true in most, but not all, situations and in some cases the parents themselves may be separated or divorced and unable to offer united support to their daughter.

In some situations a pregnant young girl may consider suicide to avoid confronting her parents about the pregnancy that was caused by both her failure and her partner's failure to control their emotions. If she commits suicide then two lives are lost and not just one. In these cases a judge is legally bound to react to the requirements of the law rather than his personal convictions.

Even God Himself is not in favor of unwanted babies but His solution involves non-conception. Abortion is impossible when conception does not occur.

LeRoy Esler
Sebring