Wednesday, November 6, 2002

Whitney Hardy is in a huff! How dare parents and police interfere in the sacred right of 16-year-olds to engage in secret sex in their parents' home. Ms. Hardy goes on to affirm that we must worry about more serious things and realize that "unwed sex is not the source of [Fayette County's] problems."

Really? I wonder if Ms. Hardy would consider children being born out of wedlock a problem. If one looks at any sociological study, the vast majority of people in poverty are children born out of wedlock, so I would say that it is somewhat of a problem. Or how about abortion? Very often, the unwanted pregnancy that results from a couple of 16-year olds exercising their sexual freedom is terminated. Even if one is pro-choice, it is impossible to deny the harm and pain that abortion causes for the girl or woman who goes through it.

What about sexually transmitted diseases? Are these not "problematic" in some way? I have to think that Fayette County youth might be happier and healthier if free from the effects of such afflictions.

And we haven't even talked about date rape, regular rape, and the general emotional harm done to both girls and boys when they engage in "fornication."

So, perhaps Ms. Hardy is right to some extent that unwed sex doesn't cause potholes and cracked sewer lines, but she is dead wrong if she thinks unwed sex isn't the source of serious emotional, psychological, and economic woes in Fayette County and the country at large.

Trey Hoffman

Sharpsburg