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Britney and Jamie Lynn
Never in our wildest dreams did we ever anticipate an editorial about Britney Spears and her younger sister, Jamie Lynn.
Much of America has gotten to know Jamie Lynn these past few weeks because she has been in the headlines. Jamie Lynn, the 16-year-old star of Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101,” is pregnant and unmarried. What to make of this?
Is Jamie Lynn a good role model for young girls in America? Probably not! There are many other women making real contributions to society.
Do we want our daughters emulating Jamie Lynn’s behavior? Definitely not!
But here’s the dilemma. Jamie Lynn is having her baby. Despite the lenient and permissive attitude in our country about life in the womb, Jamie Lynn has chosen life. There’s something admirable in that. There’s something very admirable about that!
Indeed, Jamie Lynn can be a role model for every young woman who finds herself in a similar situation.
Of course, Jamie Lynn’s family can offer her the best in care and counseling. Not every other pregnant teen has that luxury. Still, the courage and fortitude shown by Jamie Lynn in her decision to give birth to her child can serve as a model for others.
In Brooklyn and Queens, there is a host of caregivers ready to help those who make such brave decisions. They can be found in the Yellow Pages under Abortion Alternatives.
Now what about older sister Britney? She seems so far off the deep end that we can only feel pity for her and her two young sons. And now Dr. Phil is trying to come to her rescue!
Thankfully, Dr. Phil has backed off doing a television session with Britney or her family. Her condition is fragile and she needs a lot more help than Dr. Phil can give her in an hour on television.
No, Britney Spears needs an intense intervention by professionals who can care for her far from the eye of public scrutiny.
We hope Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears get the help they each need. By doing so and by showing a proper respect for their bodies and their lives, they can hopefully transform themselves into responsible mothers.
As for the father of Jamie Lynn’s child, said to be longtime boyfriend Casey Aldridge, we hope he receives the familial support he needs as well and sets an example for other young men out there by taking responsibility for his actions and his child.
March for Life
Since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion with its notorious Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22, 1973, almost 43 million babies have been extracted from their mothers’ wombs. Each day in New York City, half of all new babies are victims of abortion. What a blatant disrespect for human life! What a disgraceful stain on our nation!
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said about legalized abortion in our “rich” nation, “It is a very great poverty to decide that a child must die that you might live as you wish.”
Americans surely are better than that. For 35 years now they have gone by the hundreds of thousands to Washington, D.C., every year on the anniversary of that horrendous decision and protested the policy of legalized abortion.
We encourage everyone who can travel to the nation’s capital on that day to join in the March for Life, which will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
Participating in the March is a good exercise in acting on our beliefs rather than just talking about them. It’s not good enough to expect someone else to make the sacrifice of a day marching out in the cold.
Even though the March is traditionally ignored by the mass media and most of our representatives on Capitol Hill, it is important to continue to send a message of hope and life. The tide has turned in favor of the pro-life message. Across the country, groups are working feverishly for limitations on legal abortion. More and more, young people are seeing the foolishness of a policy that wipes out future generations of American citizens. There is a greater awareness of the culture of life, only because pro-lifers have refused to be silent about the sin of abortion.
Our diocese has a proud history of connection to the March. Once again, this year, the Office of Faith Formation’s Respect Life division is coordinating the efforts of organizing groups and buses to make the trip.
In recent years it has been very encouraging to see so many young people and families at the March for Life. What a great example those parents and teachers give to their children and students.
This year, the diocese will send three youth buses for the one-day trip; three buses for the overnight trip being co-sponsored by the diocesan Government Affairs Office; and four buses from various parishes around the diocese. In addition, several groups will sponsor their own buses to ensure ample representation from Brooklyn and Queens. It would be great to see those buses arrive in Washington full of people from the diocese.
Buses for the one-day trip cost $20 per person while there is a $75 fee for the overnight venture. For more information about these opportunities, call Robin Lynn, the diocesan Respect Life coordinator, at 718-281-9580, or Susan Dunn at 718-281-9581.
Special buses for high school students will also make the trip on a one-day or overnight (leadership program) basis. Call Ms. Lynn or Marilyn Santos at 718-281-9584.
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