Friday, Jan. 23, 1998
Cartoonist explains today's cartoon
Act 199 is a recently enforced state law which restricts alcohol advertisements in college publications. I drew the cartoon dealing with Act 199 to express just how ludicrous the law really is. I am in no way blaming the Collegian, rather Pennsylvania legislators.
Regulating alcohol advertising is just the beginning! Next, we
will be regulating any and all deviant subject matter that may
or may not influence illegal activity. OK, so maybe this is a
little extreme, or maybe not. The fact is, this opens the door
to the possibility that Pennsylvania legislation will be able
to dictate college newspaper subject matter.
Legislation aimed at undermining underage drinking is not what
I disagree with. I disagree with this particular act because it
threatens the vitality and integrity of the Collegian as a reliable
source of information.
The law is aimed at editing the newspaper for alcoholic content
of which could influence underage drinking. The fact is, you cannot
edit the newspaper for everything that might influence harmful
behavior.
Whether it is random acts of violence, theft or the smoking of
marijuana, the opportunity to be influenced negatively is greater
through these cover stories than it is from a page of cluttered
print advertising. These stories can adversely influence the total
population of the school, whereas the ads can adversely influence
a minority of the population.
I am in no way condoning underage drinking. I merely feel that
the wrong avenues for regulation are being pursued.
The Collegian has a duty to provide a service. By passing this
law the state is forcing the Collegian, and other college newspapers
like it, to compromise that objective. Please take my cartoon
with a grain of salt. It is only meant to provide an alternative
point of view with a twist of sarcasm. Subtlety isn't one of my
strong points. I wouldn't want to influence anyone to use an illegal
controlled substance.
Sean Flanagan
Collegian editorial cartoonist
Right to abortions must be defended
From defending Margaret Sanger's right to inform women about birth control, to preserving public school condom distribution, the American Civil Liberties Union has always fought to protect reproductive freedom in the United States through legislation and public education.
One of the reproductive issues about which the ACLU has been the
most vocal is abortion. Yesterday, the 25th Anniversary of Roe
vs. Wade, it was important to remember that the right to choose
abortion is guaranteed at the moment, but its preservation requires
constant watchfulness.
While every American woman has the constitutional right to choose
to terminate a pregnancy, that right is not absolute. States have
the power to pass legislation restricting this right so as to
make abortion extremely inconvenient in the best circumstances
and nearly impossible in the worst.
Mandatory waiting periods, biased counseling requirements and
parental consent laws make the right to choose abortion infinitely
more difficult for minors, battered women, women who live in rural
areas and women who live in poverty.
In other words, we can't afford to stop fighting when there are
women whose right to choose exists only on paper. Although we've
come a long way in the 25 years since this landmark decision,
there is still progress to be made. Everyone deserves access to
basic reproductive services, affordable contraception and safe,
legal abortion regardless of age, income level or marital status.
Heather Keegan
September Rea
Penn State ACLU
