by Jim O'Hara
Submitted to the Star Banner, October 10, 2001
Editor,
A thoughtful cartoonist highlighted a barrel with the word, WAR, on it and placed it on the front burner of a stove with all other issues in barrels far behind on the stove.
As a nation, we are trying to heal ourselves from the vicious terrorists acts. We worry that our men and women in our armed forces are at war. During this time, I would expect our state and federal legislators to be occupied with terrorist and war related activities. Not so.
Opportunists, led by clergy who want to outlaw all abortions and increase their political clout, decided to use this time to introduce legislation related to their interests.
Some states are enacting legislation with new building codes which no Planned Parenthood clinics can meet. It puts these clinics out of business. This is an example of why some religious leaders want the federal government to give more power to the states. These leaders can control some states.
Congressmen have introduced H.R. 2931 and H.R. 2357 which would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and permit churches to use their funds to campaign and lobby on behalf of, or in opposition to, political candidates. Churches can do that now if they agree to give up their multi-billions of dollars of tax exemptions each year. If the two bills are approved, these would increase the political power of the largest religious denominations. The separation of religion and government and religious liberty in America would be threatened..
At the same time that we have fanatical terrorists on the loose and are at war, we have fanatical
clergy working to get their way politically at the state and federal levels.. When the dust settles,
not only must Congress defeat these bills but also enact laws which overrule state legislators
which passed laws with building codes which put Planned Parenthood clinics out of business and
deny women access to these clinics.
James M. O'Hara