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opinion
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I was only five minutes late, not to brag, but...
KANSAN.COM/NEWS | MONDAY,APRIL 3,2017
I need a friend, OK, I need a friend!
Wearing actual jeans to class isn't so bad, don't @ me
I don't need a babysitter, I just need a play mate.
The wescoe stairwell ALWAYS smells like B.O.
Will Smith's rap is highly underrated.
Sorry, I'm such trash.
My Snapchat is a daily journal of how I'm handling adulthood so far.
I'm calling an Uber to take me to my 8am.
Sleep is the only thing I really want in the world.
I'm doing shots tonight for every L I've taken this week. So far I'm up to 10.
[To Kansans that have Confederate flags:] If you're going to be racist, at least he historically accurate.
Cappuccino is lyfe.
Homicidal Triad is the name of my next band.
For this April Fool's Day I'll be attending University of Kansas because out of state tuition is a joke.
My life is waking up, looking at the clock and immediately cursing like a sailor.
Is it still considered unproductive if I'm not paying attention in class because I'm applying for an internship?
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Who needs April fools when your whole life is a joke.
Here's hoping Oreos won't let me down like I let my parents down.
F*** student housing.
Last night was just a big ass April fools joke right?
My claim to fame:
I can hold 17 sour skittles in my mouth without crying.
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
Associated Press photo In this April 29, 2016 file photo, David Robert Daleiden, right, leaves a courtroom after a hearing in Houston. California prosecutors say two anti-abortion activists who made undercover videos of themselves trying to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood have been charged with 15 felony counts of invasion of privacy. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the charges Tuesday, March 28, 2017, against Daleiden and Sandra Merritt. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
Hoedl: Planned Parenthood still needed
► ALYSSA HOEDL
@AHoedl
Planned Parenthood has more to it than just abortions. The right-wing media likes to make it seem that all women go to Planned Parenthood to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, when in fact Planned Parenthood does way more than just abortions.
Last summer, two anti-abortion activists illegally videotaped Planned Parenthood employees, and edited the videos to make it seem as though Planned Parenthood was selling the limbs of dismembered babies for a profit, which is illegal.
There were investigations in 13 different states involving Planned Parenthood, but there were no charges brought up against Planned Parenthood.
When people like these anti-abortion activists try and manipulate the way people see and think about Planned Parenthood, it takes away from all the immense good Planned Parenthood does for women and men around the country.
For 100 years now, Planned Parenthood has been offering all kinds of services to women and men, including STI/STD testing and treatment, contraception, cancer screening and prevention, pregnancy tests, family practice services and abortion services. Out of all of these services provided to
women and men every year only 3 percent of them are abortion services.
Most people are going into Planned Parenthood to try to prevent ever having to decide whether to have an abortion or not."
Many people attempt to demonize Planned Parenthood by highlighting the abortion services, when in fact Planned Parenthood primarily tries to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Over 2 million people are served by Planned Parenthood health centers in some way or another, and 80 percent of those who are served by them are going in for services like family planning.
Most people are going into Planned Parenthood to try to prevent ever having to decide whether to have an abortion or not.
Many people in the U.S. however, only see Planned Parenthood from the eyes of organizations such as Breitbart News, which is notorious for spreading lies. While Planned Parenthood has never been charged with anything in regard to the investigations into the selling of baby parts, Breitbart puts out articles trying to scare people into believing that everything the activists videotaped is actually true.
For those who say they don't want to pay for someone else's abortion because Planned Parenthood gets federal funding, there is no need to worry. You aren't.
Planned Parenthood is not allowed to use federal funding for abortion services.
Even though some parts of the media would like to make the public think differently, the fact of the matter is this: an estimated 579,000 unwanted pregnancies are avoided by Planned Parenthood contraceptive services annually. In other words, without Planned Parenthood, there would be more than a half million more unwanted pregnancies per year.
Planned Parenthood helps millions of women and men get the care and services they need and should not be defunded. It is OK to oppose abortions, but what is not OK is to take away the resources women need to avoid the situation in the first place.
Alyssa Hoedl is a freshman from Olathe studying journalism and political science.
Liston: Students need civic education
RYAN LISTON @rlisten235
As American citizens and residents, we all ought to understand how our government operates and how we can influence it. As college students, we have a unique opportunity to educate ourselves on American politics by enrolling in courses that focus on the topic, the most basic one being Introduction to U.S. Politics.
American democracy arose from debates, discussions, compromises and conflicts between people who each had a different vision for how the country should operate. These deliberations molded the political and governmental systems within the United States. Understanding these systems without proper education may seem like traversing a foreign country without a map.
According to Pew Research Center, millennials (those born between 1981-1998) and baby boomers (born between 1946-1964) were nearly tied for the number of voting-age individuals
in 2016: both generations contained over 69 million individuals. Yet, millennials consistently have significantly lower voter-turnout rates than older generations and are, therefore, not taking advantage of their political potential.
Soon, millennials will surpass the baby boomers as the generation with the most voting-age individuals. However, if millennials do not become more engaged in the political process, baby boomers will likely continue to determine the outcome of the next election cycles.
Research from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville suggests that taking political science courses increases political engagement. Through these courses, students may discover an interest in politics or in political causes that encourage them to participate in the political process.
If millennials
do not become more engaged in the political process, baby boomers will likely continue to determine the outcome of the next election cycles."
Students may also feel more confident getting involved in politics if they have a solid understanding of the political and governmental systems of our country.
Learning about American democracy can help us become more informed on the issues facing our nation, and on how we can influence the government. Since all of our lives are impacted by politics, all students should take a basic American politics course and apply that knowledge to political action.
Ryan Liston is a sophomore from Lawrence studying journalism and political science.
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Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Lara Korte, Christian Hardy, Tucker Paine and Vince Munoz.
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