Abortion was traditionally not a big issue among Republicans, but in the middle 1980s, concerned that making the rich richer wasn’t going to attract enough voters, Republicans cynically began to embrace right to life as an issue — not because of a deep, heartfelt concern about unborn children but simply to get votes from the evangelical Christians.
I don’t know when life begins, and I certainly don’t approve of murdering babies. But this huge concern over abortion seems a little half-baked when these same people seem to be just fine with U.S. policies that result in countless children and adults dying every day from malnutrition, war and neglect.
In my view, the best way to reduce abortion would be to make it safe, legal and extremely rare. We could achieve that by building a sane, functional and equitable society. Instead we’re doing just the opposite with wealth distribution worsening, teen suicide rates rising, opioid addiction ravaging communities, social media polarizing society and a small handful of huge corporations spoon feeding us nonsense for information. Perhaps it would help if Christians would start behaving more like that guy Jesus who they’re always talking about.
Robert Bolman
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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