ways to change the world

An anti-abortion Republican in the white house for 8 years has not slowed abortions. It seems to me that its merely a selling point. While I am "pro-life" I do believe that prohibition has never stopped people from doing anything they want. If someone wants to abort, drink alcohol, smoke pot, do drugs, prostitute themselves, they will always find a way... except that it will introduce a whole new set of problems in society.
Holland has it right. The following is excerpted from "Collective conscience breeds Dutch tolerance" by David Morris:
Amsterdam Judge Ruter says, "You cannot solve social problems by making them taboo." The Dutch don't drive their human weaknesses underground. The minister of justice of Holland's conservative gov't says, "The aim is to prevent as much as possible a situation in which more harm is caused by criminal proceedings than by the activity itself."
Legalization allows the gov't more flexibility than criminalization. A prostitute undergoes regular health exams and measures are taken to prevent disease. One result is an astonishing low rate of AIDS infection: less than 1% as compared to America's illegal but plentiful prostitute population at 30-40%. Allowing prisoners conjugal visits with loved ones reduces prison tension and curbs aggressive in-prison homosexuality.
Marijuana loses much of its attraction to young people because its no longer forbidden, making it into an unsensational item. In fact, the proportion of teenage users in Holland is a fraction of US use and crack is virtually non-existent. Also the violent druglords are taken out of the picture. ...i guess the more you label a thing as illegal, more and more people are drawn to it. Indeed, why don't we allow drugs to be legally available? Government will make money out of it instead of the druglords. Years of campaigning against use of illegal drugs didn't reduce drug addicts.
Dutch schools teach sex education and birth control pills are cheap and available. Yet Dutch girls are no more sexually active than American girls. Holland's teen-age pregnancy rate is 1/7th that of America's. American teenagers have 12 to 14 times more abortions than Dutch teens. ...i, myself would campaign that sex education be taught in schools as early as pre-school in the terms that they can understand and would push for a cheaper birth control pills. i believe it is more irresponsible to raise a child when you, yourself didn't even manage to enjoy your teenage years. what kind of a child are you raising then? will she be part of the world's solution or a problem? i don't agree that young preggies should abort their babies but it could have been avoided if they were educated on sex and sexual activities.
The Dutch treat prostitutes, drug addicts, teen-age pot smokers and the terminally ill with respect. Not surprisingly, respect breeds responsibility, not license. The heroin addict uses a clean needle. The prostitute does not transmit disease. The teen uses birth control.
The Dutch's sense of mutual respect and collective responsibility is deeply rooted. In the 1600s they were the most prosperous nation on earth. Riches breed a "collective conscience" that demanded generosity for the needy and tolerance for those with different religions and different habits. Obligations to community, to society came first. The 300-year tradition continues. They know the most fertile breeding ground for irresponsible behavior is the slum. They offer the wold's most comprehensive social support programs. (i wish Philippine government can do the same)
This prosperous country of 14 million has much to teach us, for tolerance has never been an American trait. We have a long history of demanding moral purity of our neighbors and eagerly locking them up if they transgress. We rely on force to solve our social problems, not wisdom.
Today, America imprisons a larger portion of its citizens than any country except South Africa. The Dutch watch in amazement our descent into social anarchy. They cannot understand why a nation would willfully destroy itself to control its citizens' personal behavior.
some thoughts of 'Susan'