January 22, 1973. A date that should have been known for the death of one of American’s most highly criticized Presidents. However, for our generation it is not. It is a date that took President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty” one step further.
President Johnson created policies that were designed to combat poverty, although he is not well-known for that part of his presidency. He wanted to see Americans get out of poverty and to prosper. However, he has yet to get that wish.
The date of his death marks one of the greatest tragedies in American history. It was the date in which the Supreme Court gave many people an “easy” way out of poverty, through abortion (note that under Medicaid created under Johnson, only abortions of rape, incest, and endangerment to the woman’s health are covered). Over the past 39 years, this has sadly become one of the number one options for many when facing financial difficulties.
This tragedy has had a great affect on us as a generation. We have seen one-third of our potential friends, family, and neighbors sacrificed, and for what? An answer to poverty in some cases? In a 2004 survey by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, nearly one-fourth of all abortions were the result of being unable to afford having a child.
Bill O’Reilly said it best one evening on his show during the Factor Mail segment. In summary, he pointed out that not enough is done in this country to promote adoption. If adoption were more widely promoted, then those that face the option of having an abortion can one day have the opportunity to meet their child. Through adoption, poverty-stricken men and women will not be almost forced into regret. I know I do my part through promoting adoption (although a small part) by proudly displaying my “Choose Life” license plates, which are printed to promote adoption in all circumstances.
Perhaps our President should not be worried about imposing on the social teachings of the nation’s largest religious institution. The Catholic Church is only trying to promote responsibility in family planning. Obama does not seem to understand this as he feels that it all can be solved, as his healthcare legislation suggests, through abortion.
If the President promoted better person responsibility then perhaps people would be more financially sound when faced with pregnancy, instead of the man or woman regretting it down the road. There are other means in which poverty can be combated such as higher education and job growth.
Please, ask yourselves: Is President Obama’s promotion of irresponsibility what President Johnson envisioned in the “War on Poverty?”
It is not! Mandating policies do not help in the “War on Poverty.” There is only one true way to combat poverty, and that is through education and self-promotion.
Let’s say there is a young teen in the inner-city that is faced with a pregnancy. Most likely, the teen will be unable to afford to take care of the child as the only job he or she would be able to get is a minimum wage job at a store or fast food restaurant. On the other hand, there is a woman who is in her late 20’s working as a financial consultant also faced with a pregnancy. This woman, has obviously gone to college and is in a position of affordability and thus able to have the pregnancy if she so chooses. The young teen in this scenario most likely lives in a failing school system (as is usually the case in New Jersey for inner-city youths) and does not have a foreseeable opportunity to go to college and gain the affordability to raise the child.
In summation, we can all do our part to combat the “War on Poverty” by promoting responsibility and opportunity through education in order to help those that feel there only option in such a scenario is abortion. President Johnson had good intentions, but it is our task to properly promote them.
