Letters to the Editor

• I love being insulted for citing correct facts.

  [Read the article: Back to the Dark Ages]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  Abortions Are Not Illegal in German, LeCastor-Get Your Facts Straight Please

  Not only are abortions not illegal in Germany, they're covered by healthcare here.

  Fascinating, because the german embassy in washington DC has a slightly different take:

  After years of conflict on the issue of abortion, the German Bundestag passed legislation regulating the termination of pregnancy at the end of June 1995.. Under the terms of the new law, abortion is prohibited. However, a woman who has an abortion during the first trimester will not be prosecuted as long as she undergoes counseling that must seek to persuade her to carry the pregnancy to term. An abortion is fully legal if the pregnancy is the result of rape or if completing the pregnancy would endanger the woman's health. The doctor performing the abortion likewise remains free from prosecution.

  http://www.germany.info/relaunch/info/facts/facts/questions_en/health/healthissues3.html

  Apparently, i was wrong about Finland:

  Finland's woman-friendly Abortion Act dates from 1970. The carrying out of an abortion requires a doctor's approval, yet in practice the law grants an abortion to all who wish to have one. It is typical of Finland that the country's permissive abortion law was not justified in the terms of women's rights but on the grounds of class equality and public health.

  http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25777

  While we're on the subject, abortion is even more illegal in Ireland:

  Abortion in Ireland remains illegal except in very limited circumstances, but women may not be prevented from travelling abroad for abortions and abortion information may be made available in certain circumstances.

  http://www.oasis.gov.ie/health/womens_health/family_planning_services.html

  In fact, here's a handly little chart:

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1869009.stm

  It seems that it's not as free as many of you allege. If you read the little blurbs under each country, most of them cut off the ability have an abortion after 12 weeks (France, Albania, Italy, Spain). Hmm, go figure.

  Gay marriages are legal in some countries, like Holland and Spain, but most others taht even allow that kind of thing have civil unions.

  if you're looking for examples of religious or sexual intolerance in Europe, you'll have to look elsewhere, rather than in one of the most liberal societies in the world. But rather than base your erroneous assertions on "what you've read" about Europe, try actually doing some actual academic research or, better yet, live there for a while. I daresay a year in Germany (or Italy, or Finland, or wherever), and a year in Syria might cure you of the perception that a continent that tolerates a jiggling, topless Madonna trussed up for a mock cricifixion a few miles from the Vatican is somehow less tolerant than the Middle-east.

  I lived in France for a year, and in Russia for 8 years, and have travelled extensively in Europe for extended periods of time, so no, i don't think i'm basing my opinion on "what i've read about Europe."

  Most importantly, i never claimed that Europe is less free than Syria. We were talking about freedom of religion, and i said that US has more freedom of religion than Europe, because of many things, including blasphemy laws, these taxes for the "state church," prohibitions on the muslim hijab, and free speech and abortion laws. And you can't deny that all of those things don't exist, they're right there on paper. What's even more important, is the general cultural antipathy towards Muslims, Arabs, "immigrants," generally, dark-skinned people. I found this to be rampant in France, Italy, Germany and Greece, and especially russia.

  And please don't generalize about how tolerant Europe is -- yes some countries may be very toleran,t but Europe includes places like Bulgaria, Albania, tolerant tolerant Balkans, and worst of all, Russia.

  Permalink Saturday, September 23, 2006 02:19 PM

• You're SO Deluded

  [Read the article: Closing the doors on single-sex education?]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  The women only want men for SECURITY here too. Which means MONEY. If the women do not want security, then they want one night stands with irresponsible loser men who have lots of prior sexual experience (experience bedding 200-500 other women).

  I love your false dichotomy. You always talk about hwo you're a nice, sensetive complex guy, but apparently, there are only 2 kinds of women. Bizaare, right?

  So a good honest man with integrity but who is not rich, like me, is to throw himself under a train?

  Wait, didn't you claim you have an MBA from a top-ten business school? Then you must have a sizable amount of money, or else you're a total loser if you got that degree, and now have a job that earns you a pittance. You'd think lots of diggers would want an MBA, no matter how overweight, right?!

  In America most women have no love for men. Oh sure, they THINK they love men. Oh but so sorry, Men get to have an opinion about this too. Which, of course, puts a wrench in the works of unimpeded feminist theology.

  Rationalizations.

  Permalink Saturday, September 23, 2006 02:35 PM