From: Dale Thorn <dthorn@gte.net>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 1997 20:09:05 -0800 (PST)
To: "William H. Geiger III" <whgiii@amaranth.com>
Subject: Re: Market Failures, Monocultures, and Dead Kids (Oh My!)
In-Reply-To: <199703181918.TAA17082@mailhub.amaranth.com>
Message-ID: <332F6677.144C@gte.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


William H. Geiger III wrote:
>    dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM) said:
> >Suppose X chooses to innoculate their kids and Y chooses not to innoculate
> >their kids against, say, polio; and Y's kids get it. They're not going to
> >give it to someone whose parents chose to innoculate them. (This is a kind
> >of borderline example, not unlike circumcision.  The individual affected
> >by the choice is too young to understand what it's all about, but doesn't
> >want to be stuck with a needle. Why are the parents more qualified to make
> >decisions for him than the state?)

> The issue of who is more qualified is irrelevent.
> The parents are the ONLY ones who have a right to determin the welfare of
> their childern. If the parents determin that the risks of reaction to the
> innoculation outways the benifits that choice is their's and their's alone.

I inherited three kids (9, 11, and 13) in November, and am starting
to get used to the schools' intrusions just now.  So far, I've
prepared one form for the kids to hand to the teacher when there
is an off-campus trip scheduled.  Like who's driving, are they
certified by the school board, chaperones (who are they), etc.

Recently they did a surprise dental inspection of the youngest kid.
I'm preparing a form to tell the schools that any certification they
require on the kids as to health, etc. will be provided by our
doctors, not theirs, so the kids can skip their inspections.
So far I haven't met with any serious opposition, but who knows?

(I'm informing them that I'm a Puritan, and follow very strict
religious practices)

Today's Long Beach paper had an extensive article on "pregnancy
counciling support groups" for sixth grade girls (in Santa Ana?),
and the "support groups" were mandatory. Religious fundamentalists
are certain to hit the ceiling on this one - not just the increase
in sexual awareness aspect, but the hoodoo-voodoo aspect of a
"support" group that smacks of New Age practices (their article,
not mine).  According to the article, the groups have an amazing
record, i.e., pregnancies down by 80% or more among the teenage girls.