Fame Neng aime age rite ge pn
PRS LOSE Meadow a ES ae Dy th i cre

pe As a resident of the
_.... Northwest, is the possibility
~ 2. Of being a victim of random
violence or crime of important

neg ene and eh

en we nro i ee oy ae

concern to you?

Lorna. Retza
_ (from Stewart)
_ No, It doesn’t concern
me. We're like a happy
family — 1! don’t feel
“threatened at alt, even in
the dark.

Cord LaFond
(from Usk)

No. “! know whom |
have believed and | am
persuaded that He Is
able...” I’m a Christian.

Debbie Wesley
Yes — 1 think It’s com-
ing all over — violence is
increasing.

|

Jim Charron
It’s not much of a worry
here. | think It would be
more of a concern in a
larger center — however,
It can happen anywhere.

iam eS ley

eT Ta ee ee

Dawn Garner
| personally think there
is not as much risk In a
smaller area. People are
more easily noticed who
are out of the ordinary.

Patricia Connaughton

That Is a timely ques-
tion because crime Is on
the upswing In Thornhill.
We have just organized a
Neighborhood Watch.

ey

Big Band Dance thanks, regrets

To the Editor;

It was with regret that the Big
Band Dance was cancelled due
to lack of ticket sales.

We would like to thank the
businesses that donated gifts,
and to those who are willing to
let us use the gifts for future
fundraising.

Thanks to: School District 88,.

Akron Transportation, B.C.
Telephone, Central Flowers and

Gifts, F House of Shannon, Spee- .

Dee Printers, Sure Exposure,
Oriflame, Slumber Lodge and
the Terrace Co-op Assoc.

Our thanks also to the Terrace
Standard and the Terrace
Review for their support.

Many thanks to the people
who purchased tickets and for
supporting this event.

Last but not least, our thanks
to the musicians who set aside

their valuable time to play for

the Big Band Dance. Several of
the musicians would have to

- travel from out of town.

‘Our sincere apologies for any
inconvenience caused by the
cancellation of this dance.

Dodie Debrule, Secretary,
Terrace/Thornhill
-Baid Parents.

"Terrace Review — Wednesday, December 13, 1989 5

Letters to the Editor —

Forgetting someone?

To the Editor;

The controversy over the Su-
preme Court decision in the
Chantal Daigle case has been
very limited in scope and
dominated by the pro and anti-
abortion factions and their

‘allies. .There is another dimen-

sion of this incredible decision
that everybody seems to be com-
pletely ignoring, and that is the
issue of ‘‘Father Rights’’.

Now I’m sure that phrase will
spark some preconceived no-
tions of my mental state in some
of you, but let me assure you,
that as a radical child of the
60’s, I am still committed to a
just and equal society. Un-
fortunately, some people still
have the animalistic or nean-
derthal concept of a Father’s
role as simply being the sperm
giver at conception and the
financial supporter after con-
ception.

But as a frustrated father who
lost his child through divorce
over 10 years ago, I had to deal
with this deep toss and I have
learned that a father’s feelings
for his child are basically the
same as the mother’s. I am con-
vinced that each would instinctly
give up their lives to save their
offspring and you can’t get more
basic or committed than that.
Indeed, I have come to believe
that nurturing your child is one

of the essential experiential.

lessons of life that a being needs
to be whole and complete, and
as such I must speak out for my

_ basic right to an equal oppor-

tunity for this privilege.

In this dimension, the facts of

the case are that an act of
mutual consent results, whether
planned or not, in the concep-
tion of a zygote whose forma-
tion is equally contributed to by
both the male and the female.
Up to this point, Nature reigns
and equality is the Law. Now
society takes over and has
decreed three options for this
couple. One: they want the child
(no problem); Two: they don’t
want the child (shouldn’t be any
problem); Three: the woman
wants the child and society legal-
ly requires the man to support
her parenting endeavors for the
next 19 years. It doesn’t matter
if it is a trick, a last ditch effort
to save a relationship or a one
night stand; paternity need only
be proven, a simple task for
genetic science today. To be
fair and regain equality in this
situation, I believe there should
be the fourth option of the man
wanting his child. ;
One faction of the controver-

sy was quick to jump on this as —

the woman’s right to control her
own body.
argue against anybody’s right to

Pifer == continued from page 4

Secondly, DeJong’s actions
were both downright foolish
and sleazy — foolish to

“forget”? he was wired (and

even to agree be in the first
place!); and sleazy to make a
deal and then dump it after -
pleas to his “Mommy”. What

Who would dare -

control their own body? And in

a society where even sex changes

are acceptable, I don’t really. .
think anybody does. However,
there are two fundamental
realities which this statement

conveniently ignores. Firstly:

beyond the wide assortment of

birth control methods available,
the actual physical capnbility of

pregnancy is as much beyond the - -

woman’s ability to control as my
being borna male or a black per-

son being born black. The sec- . -
that this.

ond reality is
zygote/fetus is not strictly the
‘“woman’s own body”, it is half
the man’s as well, and as such,

equality demands that its future
be the sole responsibility of both
genetic: parents. But if we are on-

ly talking about the nine months

of pregnancy and the hardship
and inconvenience this entails in
the -woman’s life; let’s compare

it to the 19 years of financial

hardship and inconvenience this
causes, the loneliness at the loss
of your child and the pain and
frustration you feel as your own
children slowly become

-strangers as you grow apart.

From my own experience, I can
tell you that it doesn’t get any
easier as the years pass. To me

the nine months seems rather -
small in comparison, but I can’t |

really make a valid comparison
despite my participation in the
pregnancy and birth of my child.
Most mothers, however, can
easily feel this reality which is
imposed on the father by im-
agining their children being
taken away from them. I would

hope, then that we could ¢om-
‘promise and at least agree that it

more than evens out in the end.

We are actually talking about —

life here and I don’t really mean
the future potential of the
zygote. I am talking more about
the importance of parenting as
being an essential factor in a per-
son’s growth, development and
ability to live a full and rich life
(which I had thought was guar-

-anteed by the Constitution). I

believe that fairness and equality
are the tangible issues here and
we must strive to attain them if
we wish to have a balanced and
just society. In addition to this, I

believe that society will be more

whole when fathers are given the
opportunity to be true fathers
and not just confined to the role
of sperm givers and financial
supporters. It is also important
to keep in mind that just as one
cannot gain respect without giv-
ing it, one cannot gain equality
by denying it to others, You end
up not only poisoning your own
equality but you run the risk of
sparking a revolt.

Gary Mills,

Terrace, B.C.,

a wimp!
And finally; I have a lot ¢ of

trouble with The Journal par-

ticipating enthusiastically in

taping people who do not know

they are being monitored.

What do you think?

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