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I have long puzzled over why it is that the radical right is so obsessed with sex: abortion, birth control, IVF, homosexuality, transsexualism, drag shows. Why? Why be concerned that people are different, as long as they are not hurting someone else or infringing on the lives of others?
Let's just take one example: abortion. I get that some people may feel that this is "killing babies" but that's not always the case. There are many cases in which women who very much want their babies are unable to give birth for medical reasons. However, the laws which many states are adopting leave no room for this exception. In these cases the babies are not able to survive birth, so no "killing" of a baby is involved. In addition if the ability of the mother to become pregnant again is in danger, is that not endangering the lives of any other babies she may conceive in the future? And, contrary to what you may have heard, there is no such thing as abortion after a nine month pregnancy.
Now let's talk about homosexuality. You may have noticed, as I have, that there seem to be a lot more same sex couples than we saw years ago. I don't think that's because there are more people who are homosexual. I think it's because it is now more acceptable in our society. In past years there were a lot of people who were afraid to let their true feelings be known. Equating homosexuality with pedophilia is just wrong. So why do you have a problem with someone else being gay? Oh, the Bible says something about it in Leviticus. But if they are not interfering with your rights, it's their souls that are "at risk", not yours. Right? So leave it up to them and God to deal with it and mind your own business.
How about in vitro fertilization? If a couple needs to use this method to conceive a child, what's it to anyone else? So there are a bunch of fertilized eggs frozen somewhere that can possibly become fetuses and eventually babies. They are not people. They are not even embryos. If they need to be discarded, it's not murder! They do not have rights. They are cells.
Giving others the freedom to be themselves doesn't take any freedom away from those who disagree with them. They just want to be able to live and let live. So should we all.
Verna Caruso, a Muncy native, is a former staff member at Inc. magazine and past chair of the Lycoming County Democratic Committee.