ETC.: Birth control, good news and more

• Young people need facts on birth control

Abstinence is a valid and important option that should be presented to youth as part of their education. However, limiting information to abstinence only does nothing to promote the health and well-being of what should be a well-informed citizenry.

Federally sponsored abstinence-only programs restrict and distort information about condoms, an effective method for protecting against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Yet abstinence-only programs have caused young people to be less confident about that fact, which is disastrous to those South Carolinians who have at hand a simple and inexpensive way to prevent such health- and life-threatening infections.

The programs also restrict information about contraceptives in general. These restrictions equal censorship, which should be unacceptable in a modern democracy.

The majority (81 percent) of South Carolina’s registered voters agree that both abstinence and contraception should be presented in schools. Young people have a right to accurate and complete information about their health, their bodies and the tools available to them in today’s world.

To give them any less is a true disservice to their intelligence, their rights and their lives.

DEBORAH BILLINGS

Columbia

• Sex clubs degrading to families and state

Strip clubs, sex clubs, naked-dancing clubs, whatever you care to call them, are wrong and should not be permitted in South Carolina.

We must put an end to these base, indecent, anti-family establishments. Houses of prostitution degrade our culture and are rightly illegal; so must be these anti-family clubs.

Anti-family is anti-civilization. Is that what we want in our state?

Do we oppose dog-fighting and favor strip clubs? How foolish!

Lawmakers: We, in your jurisdiction, look to you to protect us.

ANNE C. RAINVILLE

Columbia

• Solve Israeli-Palestinian impasse fairly for all

Being blessed to have traveled to Israel, Palestine and many other conflict areas, let it be emphasized that the Israeli-Palestinian issue must be resolved in the context of human rights and justice for all.

Many of my Israeli and Palestinian friends would agree. There is no other central question that is so crucial and critical to peace in our post-modern world.

In an oftentimes hopeless world, new hope should emerge with the vision that Israelis and Palestinians have roots in both Abraham and Jesus Christ. True, there are those tired folks who feed on fears, deceits, despair and demons of death, and thus surrender to myopia. Hope springs eternal, or should, because of these roots.

The power and promise of both Abraham and Christ should move even the forthcoming political conventions to resolutions that move the Israeli-Palestinian issue front and center as a matter of both human rights and justice for all.

ALBERT E. JABS

Lexington

• Any of the candidates is better than Bush

Sen. Barack Obama has it right! After having Bush as president for seven disastrous years, anyone, including Sen. John McCain, would be welcomed as president in January.

LARRY KNIGHT

Columbia

• ‘State’ spotlight on good news uplifting

Congratulations! It was gratifying to pick up your newspaper on April 13 and read uplifting articles on the front page.

So often, newspapers print only doom and gloom, burglaries, marijuana busts and such. Bad things that happen to good people seem to make headlines — but we really don’t want to read only that.

We want to read news that brightens our thoughts and spirits, such as special children playing baseball, 90 souls volunteering for another year in Afghanistan because they feel they can help, and the “praying man,” 115 years old.

We say good luck to all of them, and thank you, State, for emphasizing all the good news, not the bad.

ELINOR SMITH

Newberry