BY DAVE PARRO
Two weeks ago, the anti-abortion activists packed the Aurora City Council meeting to protest the Planned Parenthood clinic. After six hours of testimony, the meeting ended at 1:30 a.m.
On Tuesday night, the abortion-rights supporters had their say. This time, the council limited the public-comment period to three hours. Three aldermen voted against the time limit.
The Beacon News praised the City Council two weeks ago for not cutting off debate and criticized the five aldermen who wanted the comments to end at 9 p.m. But at what point does the abortion controversy hijack the city's regular business? Should aldermen continue to hear the same arguments over and over again, even when they're not voting on anything related to the issue?
The meeting Tuesday ended around 10 p.m., which is not unreasonable. But aldermen shouldn't be expected to accommodate more than 100 speakers every two weeks, especially when the comments aren't advancing the debate. Both sides have made their points.
Every resident should have the right to address their elected officials, but there will come a time when supporters on both sides of this emotional issue are simply taking advantage of the opportunity to speak. We may be at that point.
This issue isn't going away anytime soon, especially because the city is still reviewing the approval process to determine whether Planned Parenthood lied to aldermen, so the same thing may happen in two weeks. Maybe the solution is to limit comments to items on the agenda, or ask each side to nominate a handful of speakers to represent each group. Signed petitions would also be effective.
It's a tough spot for the City Council. The most important consideration may be what purpose the comments serve at this point and whether they introduce new arguments or are only meant to wear aldermen down.
I personally believe there is nothing more important than fighting for life....How can we put a time limit on a babies God given right to live......These babies have no voice of their own, and thankfully there are those who are willing to speak out for them....
At what point should another person decide that too much time is being spent to save another life??
A community which allows the intentional destruction of our most innocent will never find peace.....
If a mother is allowed to end the life of her own child, how does a community come to expect our young people to stop murdering eachother??
Looks like we racked up another senseless murder, a 19 yr old who was killed on his birthday this past Monday!!
How do you say to these gang members STOP killing eachother, but it is o.k. if a girl/woman wants to murder her own baby????
What kind of message is this to our youth???
Please Aurora, let's put an end to all senseless murders and send a positive message to our future generations.....
AMEN TO THAT PATTY!!!
I have to disagree with limiting comments to agenda items. Going before the Council is a right of every citizen. If I wish to discuss an item of concern (not matter what that may be) I should be able to utilize my right to speak at any Council meeting.
I further do not agree on this "nomination" notion. I have my own opinion, concerns and ways of expression. So a select few are able to speak for a group? This is taking away my rights and allows for potential manipulation of this select few. There is no easy answer here.
The one thing I would suggest is that every Auroran be given the right to priority speaking and attendance. At last weeks Council meeting you had Aurorans waiting outside to get into their own City Hall while bussed in protesters walked right ahead of them.
Maybe if the debate is limited to only those from Aurora (on non-agenda items) the time will be shortened and the Council can more rationally discuss their concerns in regards to repetition and abuse of the system. I believe that Aurorans will respond accordingly, but I suspect the City Council will have a few more long evenings ahead of them, and rightfully so. This is a serious issue.
The pro-life people spoke to the City Council for six hours because there were only two pro-choice people who could attend. The City Council then limited debate when there were a lot of pro-choice people in the audience and allowed a majority of pro-life people to speak; even though they spoke last week; to use up the time that the pro-choice could have used to further their side of the issue. This was discrimination by the pro-life people on the City Council and a very disappointing Mayor. You took away our right to free speech.
Someone is complaining that their right to free speech was taken away at the city council meeting.
What an irony. To even compare the right to free speech with the right to life is an example of our societies selfishness.
The unborn cannot speak for themselves and thanks be to God that there are those who are willing to fight for their rights.
I applaud all those who live, work and run the city of Aurora, who take their time to speak up for the unborn who have every right to life as the rest of us.
nowhere in that statment is there a comparison between the right to speak and the right to life...
Do any of you know what else PP does? PP also provides low cost womens health to people who need it. Before we were married my wife used PP to get papsmears and early detection of cervical cancer which I feel was life saving. They also provide info that most of these young people could not get elsewhere without being embarrased. Who wants to go to a pastor to talk about the sex they are having? Besides the fact that some believe the truth which is evolution so don't have a pastor. Protesting a company that is not doing anything illegal is wrong. Besides if you don't think that legal abortions are already taking place in Aurora you are very mistaken.
Joe, do you know what else planned parenthood does?
Fox news did a report on them. A Dr. who performed abortions for this organization admitted that they try to get them in around 13 yrs of age for their 1st abortion because then they will be guaranteed at least 2-3 more from the same girl! Abortion is where they make their money and abortion is their ultimate goal!
A UCLA undercover reporter has recorded conversations with employees from P.P. who encourage young girls not to report statutory rape!
Statistics show that young girls and teens who use birth control which P.P. so smuggly hand out to them, has a 50-60% failure rate, and they know these same girls will show up frightened enought to abort their babies.
Why would any parent want an organization in their neighborhood?
dear truth seeker, I would love to have your sources for this information. because it hard to believ that anyone in there right mind would say something like that. And to say that all that PP wants is abortion is pretty unrealistic when they have many clinics that don't even perform abortions. If this is true you still can't pin a whole company on one crazy doctor.
Here you go Joe, check it out for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18IKmx6wsYk
Also check out myspace.com under planned parenthood exposed.
Deceiftul or evil, maybe both, that's what planned parenthood is.
How ironic that someone would use this forum to negate the right to free speech.