Recently, School District 11 of Colorado Springs banned Planned Parenthood (PP),from many of its schools. For those unaware, Planned Parenthood is an organization whose mission is to improve quality of life and enable all people to exercise individual choice regarding their own reproductive health. Seems the right thing to do, doesn’t it, but wait, isn’t that pro choice aka abortion? Keep reading.For 17 years, Planned Parenthood has been advising high school students in District 11 about abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases and how students could protect themselves. Makes sense to me but not to the anti-abortion folks, for you see, abortion is what this is really all about. PP is pro choice and that infuriates the anti abortion crowd. They could care less that students will no longer receive sound, safe, practical advice about sex; it’s all about abortion.The final straw in banning PP was brought about when some nutcase parked his truck outside Palmer High School and then displayed huge posters of aborted fetuses. This despicable act intimidated the high school staffs, who then imposed the ban, citing safety and security issues.Who can blame them?This is just another example of the puritans trying to impose their rigid views on schools, cities and, indeed, our nation, and it starts with our born-again, prudish president who only wants to fund abstinence-only sex -ed. What a joke, believing teenagers will abstain from sex until marriage. How many reading this did?Election experts are convinced that evangelicals, especially in the south, won the day for Bush. I agree, and, although I am all for high moral standards and doing the right thing, the puritanical way is not the way to go. Recall when the goody-goody folks imposed prohibition. How silly was that, telling folks they couldn’t drink? Bootlegers and the Mob smacked their lips and raked in millions by providing illegal booze to the masses.Religion needs to get back to what it is here for – to feed, clothe, shelter the poor and save some souls. Get out of public education and politics.I’m not sure if Planned Parenthood is even involved with the Falcon School District, but if it is, I hope the puritanical police haven’t infiltrated school boards. I do know that wise Falcon folks do not want to be annexed by Colorado Springs, and I sure hope that includes, excluding the nationally known, obnoxious religiosity emanating just 10 miles due east.Phil KennyColorado Springs
