Mahony and School Clinics

As a Roman Catholic and a staunch believer in family values, I was disappointed but not surprised at Archbishop Mahony’s opposition to the school board’s plan for clinics.

For decades, the American Catholic Church has warned against premarital sex and preached that abortion is a mortal sin. But when its young female parishioners became pregnant, and further still were encouraged--for religious reasons--to keep their children, where was the Catholic Church then? Nowhere to be seen. Instead, teens, particularly poor teens, had nowhere to turn except to their local welfare offices.

If the Catholic Church refuses to accept the daunting reality of teen pregnancy and is still willing to preach against premarital sex and abortion, then let the church take the responsibility of caring for our young’s mistakes. Otherwise, let the school district get on with the work of helping our teens.

ANNA OLVERA COLE

Pasadena