America is being attacked by religious radicals

Once again Americans may die from attacks by fundamentalist religious groups attempting to force their views on the rest of us. Only now it isn't foreign radical Muslim groups, but US fundamentalist factions determined to force their practices on the rest of us. And while we see it locally, it reflects a lack of tolerance in the US as a whole and in foreign countries as well.

At the Shenendehowa High School, the deceptively named Shenendehowa Parent's Choice Coalition is trying to force their choice, ignorance,on the rest of the student body. These parents could withdraw their own children from the course, but instead choose to impose abstinence only "sex ed" on everyone. The "Parents Choice" group is blocking choice by other parents, and adding the risk that sexually active teens (statistically the vast majority) will not be taught to avoid the many risks of pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease, possibly one which will require lifelong care or be fatal. And since over 40% of teen teen pregnancies end in abortion or miscarriage, there are significant health risks to these children. Nationally over 15% of all new HIV cases reported, and about half of all STDs reported are in people in the under 24 group.

The sad truth is that these parents not only risk their own children, but every child in that school who remains ignorant. Learning about sex "on the street" is a good way to learn about the mechanics of sex, but a poor way to learn about safety. Where did this "Parents Choice" religious group get the right to to choose ignorance for other people's children?

Looking at this issue, I found on a Midwest station call-in show an interview with a mother who belonged to a similar group in the greater Chicago area. The reporter asked if this woman's daughter had been vaccinated against the cancer causing human papilloma virus (HPV). The parent replied that "My daughter will remain a virgin until her wedding night, marry a virgin, and she doesn't need a vaccine that promotes promiscuous behavior." I sure hope she's right about that behavior! Another caller called pregnancy and disease "God's judgement on sinners."

After hiring failed gubernatorial candidate and anti-abortion activist Karen Handel as senior vice president of public policy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, a leading breast cancer group adopted a policy preventing funding for groups under investigation for misuse of funds. Then Representative Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, started an investigation to see if Planned Parenthood had used federal funds for abortion. That investigation seems to have been tabled "waiting for documents," leaving a stalled investigation, no need to prove wrongdoing, and thus permanently blocking funding for breast exams benefiting women who choose Planned Parenthood for their gynecological care.

The funding from the Komen groups was used solely for breast health examinations, not for any other activity of Planned Parenthood.

In Ohio, Amish terrorists (I couldn't make that up that term) from "a renegade Amish sect" are kidnapping church members who disagreed on interpretations of faith and shaving the beards of men and raping women "to keep sect members in line." The group attacked victims in three states. What's next, an Amber Alert on a horse and buggy?

In the south the Westboro Baptist Church has been disrupting the funerals of soldiers killed in action. This group has made the war into a gay rights issue in their minds, possibly confusing "don't ask don't tell" with "don't think, don't care" before you demonstrate. And a sympathetic judge has said this is a legitimate expression of their religious rights, free speech rights, or the right to do whatever you want as long as you hate homosexuals. So far no law enforcement group has used the "inciting to riot" laws employed against other demonstrators.

In Israel an article in 972 magazine tells us that a group of ultra orthodox children is reported to have verbally attacked and spat upon an eight year old girl for wearing secular garb. This lack of tolerance is not just in the USA, although it seems more shocking here compared to the tolerant attitudes of only a few years ago.


The overall trend in all of this is that more and more religious groups who hold beliefs that their version of "God's laws" trumps secular legislatures and courts. In some cases they attack only peace of mind, but in others they expose women to the very disease they ask us to fight by giving them money, or put other people's children at risk of unprotected sex in the effort to force everyone to live by some group's beliefs and rules.

The right to free speech never included the right to force others to listen, where have our courts gone wrong that this made up right trumps the ones in the Constitution.