Students address issues in letters to editor
EDITOR’S NOTE: Barbara Mustain, religion teacher at Madison St. Joseph School, asked her sophomores to write a letter to the editor based on one issue they cared about in this election year. The letter was to express their opinion based on Catholic social teachings outlined in the U.S. bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: The U.S. Bishops’ Reflection on Catholic Teaching and Political Life.” Students had received a copy of the bishops’ document and watched a video. They were to “stick to issues and assume the candidates were men and women of integrity who represented very different views on some issues but who were to be taken seriously – no character attacks / no character cheering.” About 65 percent wrote about the fundamental importance of the right to life and human dignity.
IMMIGRATION
Dear Editor,
The Webster’s dictionary defines the word immigrate as: to enter a country of which one is not a native, for permanent residence. This concept is the foundation upon which the United States began.
Many will argue immigration is currently a problem in the United States. Some immigrants have crossed the border illegally and abused the U.S. laws. Each day about 8,000 immigrants cross the border with their families or by themselves, seeking work or medical attention necessary for a better future.
I personally know this, because I once considered myself to be an immigrant, but I was always legal in this country. In 2001 when I was nine years old, my family migrated from Mexico to the United States. My mother and father both received work permits and started working and paying taxes for the government.
They gave up their teaching careers in Mexico to do menial work here, so that my sister and I could have a better education. My family is an example of hard working immigrants who have taken every step necessary to become permanent U.S. residents. By doing this, they have provided a future for my sister and I, that we could not have imagined in Mexico. For this I am grateful.
My hope is that the next president of the United States will come up with a plan to solve this conflict, which affects many immigrant people, and causes them to cross the border because they have no other choice. I also hope American laws will continue to provide opportunities for those who seek this country’s freedoms. Of course it is important that immigrants follow the rules and laws to earn a place in this country which has so many chances for people.
Tania Baltazar
RIGHT TO LIFE
Dear Editor,
I would like to discuss the right to life in relation to the upcoming presidential election. Each of us has a choice as to whom to vote for in this election, and I would specifically like to emphasize the importance of morality in this election. Here, in the United States, the question of life and its importance have been questioned everyday since the decision of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. I advocate the right to life because of the just principles that support them. Abortion is a common topic in this presidential election, and here are the reasons I urge Americans to support the pro-life stance.
Abortion ultimately comes down to the dignity of the human person. Each human life is sacred. Each life is to be respected. Just as African Americans fought for equality in the civil rights movement and in countless other instances in history, we must identify every life as important and, especially, as life. We cannot ignore the fact an unborn child is, in fact, a child. Dignity to this child is just as important as dignity to yourself and your loved ones.
Then why do we allow the killing of millions of innocent babies before they even have a chance to live? Mothers must observe maturity in themselves and take responsibility by giving birth. Abortion, therefore, is the killing of innocent human life, and it destroys the dignity of human life.
I now ask before you vote, remember the children that have been and may be affected by the decision of Roe vs. Wade if it is not removed from law. By just voting for a particular candidate, you are showing respect and acceptance of their beliefs. Then, show the unborn you respect them as well. This is not just a question to be answered by the religious of the United States. This is a call to everyone for the protection of human dignity. We are all human, so protect the smallest too.
Victoria Barcellona
SAME SEX MARRIAGE
Dear Editor,
As Christians we believe the family is the core of human society. The family unit begins with the marriage of a man and a woman. Today in our society we are seeing these core values threatened. Old laws are being repealed and new laws made that allow for same sex marriages.
A marriage between a man and a woman needs to be respected and laws need to be strengthened to promote this union. The marriage between a man and a woman is the fundamental reason for our life to exist, for the creation and nurturing of children.
The union of a man and woman also exists to allow children to be raised in a protective environment. Policies of taxation and work, divorce laws and immigration that favor this union and allow this family unit to exist should be supported. It is important for Christians to support candidates who support the traditional values of marriage between a man and a woman and reject the populist belief that same sex marriages are acceptable to society.
Candidates must support policies that support this bond, through their words and actions. We must allow the family unit, a marriage between a man and a woman, to grow and thrive with dignity in order for the human race to continue.
Ashley Crandall
ABORTION
Dear Editor,
One heated subject in today’s election is abortion. I, personally, am prolife and I believe life begins at the moment of conception. So I advocate making abortion illegal. A lot of people would say there are many exceptions for abortion, such as a mother’s life or rape victims.
There are girls who just get pregnant at a young age. I think if they are mature enough to make the decision to have sex then they are mature enough to take care of a baby especially when there is always adoption. For rape victims, it was out of their control, but if they just hold out for nine months, then they could give the baby up for adoption.
Next, we have a mother’s life that could be at risk. I do not have facts and logic to say why abortion is not the only option, but I do have a story. My mother was pregnant with her fifth child and the doctor told her to have an abortion because if she did not then she and the baby would die in delivery.
It was a hard decision to make, considering the circumstances and having all her kids under the age of 12, but she decided not to have an abortion. The delivery was rocky but now my little sister is eight years old and definitely an ambitious jet engine. Even if a mother’s life is at risk, miracles can happen.
If a mother is told to have an abortion, and she does, she never knows what could have happened or who could have been. Once you have an abortion then all hope is lost and sometimes that is all we have left in this world. Hope and belief is what we have to fall back on.
As my mom always says, “If you do not believe in something, you will fall for anything.’
Lis Riley
DEATH PENALTY
Dear Editor,
October is “Respect Life” month, a time when we are called to nurture and love all of creation. I wonder, though, how we are respecting life by keeping 64 prisoners, in Mississippi alone, on death row.
The death penalty is a violation of human rights in every respect. As many a bumper sticker has inquired, “Why should we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?” Is it justice or is it only revenge? How is a crime resolved by murder? A life sentence without parole insures that a person will no longer commit crimes, but at the same time it preserves the life of the accused.
One argument of supporters of the penalty is it will discourage people from committing those crimes punishable by death (i.e. sex crimes, drug trafficking), but statistics have shown that despite the death penalty those crimes are still occurring.
Also, it is more costly on taxpayers to carry out capital punishments than to keep a person in prison on a life sentence. If America is to make advancements socially on a global scale, it must relinquish this “eye for an eye” mentality and recognize that criminals are humans too and no person has the right to take the life of another.
Cardinal John Henry Newman once said, “Let us act on what we have, since we have not what we wish.” I now call you to act, to change the world for the better, to encourage respect for all life.
Hannah Saulters
ENERGY
Dear Editor,
The elections are looming ever closer as the days wear on, and peoples’ minds are pondering which candidate they will choose.
One key topic on people’s minds when thinking about who they will vote for is energy. We must find ways to get cleaner more renewable energy. Global warming is destroying the ice caps and the climates of the world. However, the United States of America continues to guzzle up gas and burn coal for energy.
As humans we are the only creatures on this earth that have the power to protect it. We must protect it or the generations to come will reap the misfortunes that come from not protecting and preserving the very thing on which all life depends on.
So when pondering the candidates one must ask oneself how is this person going to protect the planet? Are they going going to build more hydro electric power plants, or perhaps more wind mills? How are the candidates going to help protect our air so our children’s children can live long and healthy lives? One must choose the candidate who will help protect all of this for us and future generations to come.
