TV portrays the wrong idea
Characters on ‘Dawson’s Creek’ should not ‘abort’ problems

I have been watching the popular Warner Bros. television show “Dawson’s Creek” since its debut.
I have seen Joey realize her feelings for Dawson, Pacey have an affair with his teacher, Jack come out of the closet, Joey choose Pacey over Dawson and finally Dawson’s mother deciding to have an abortion when she is hit by a surprise pregnancy.

This cheesy and highly unlikely portrayal of teenage (and occasionally adult) life in America is something that I find entertaining and mind-numbing, which I need after a hard week of exams and papers. Through all of the scenarios and boisterous plot twists and turns in this television show, however, I have never been caught so off-guard as by the last situation I mentioned.

Two weeks ago when catching up on life in Cape Side, I watched as Dawson’s mother found out that she was pregnant. To make a long story short, Dawson’s mother decides, before talking to her husband about it, that she is going to have an abortion. She felt that they had too many financial responsibilities with their new restaurant and Dawson’s college tuition to bring another child into the world. She also felt she was not a good mother and didn’t want to make another child go through what Dawson had to go through.

I am not an abortion rights opponent. I think having an abortion is a devastating decision to have to make, but I also believe there are situations in which abortion is a necessary choice and people shouldn’t be deprived of it.
But I am not in favor of people using abortion as a quick way out. I know I can’t oversee everyone and make sure that people make informed and responsible choices regarding this issue, nor do I feel I have the right to.
However, I do think that sending such a message on a nationally broadcast television show is wrong.

This story promotes abortion as a way out of situations you wish you were not in, not situations with which

you had no control over being in.
Dawson’s parents are married and, as a married couple having sex, know the consequences of such actions. Just because getting pregnant might not have been in their plans doesn’t mean that the mother should just be able to “fix” this little mess up and go along as formerly intended. She doesn’t even let her husband in on the decision. It is his child as much as it is hers.

People need to learn to stand behind their actions and take responsibility for mistakes they have made. I guess in this day and age where you can of get away with murder because “you had a bad childhood” or because “the video game made you do it,” I shouldn’t be surprised to see abortion portrayed as a way out of taking responsibility for one’s actions.

However, I wish I was able to say that I was surprised.

Michelle Thompson is a sophomore English major from Excelsior, Minn.
She can be reached at (l.m.thompson@student.tcu.edu).

Student Government Association elections are today, but looking around campus, you may not know it.

There are a few signs, sure, and there was even a debate for each position.

But the days of departmental endorsements, multiple debates and chalk-covered sidewalks are apparently over.
Unlike previous years, SGA candidates only had half the time to campaign as in previous years. The reason — the referendum.

It took a month for SGA to debate and ultimately reject the proposal to restructure SGA. The time it took to squabble over the future of the SGA secretary position reduced the time left until the mandatory election date.
According to the SGA constitution, elections must occur the last full week of class before Thanksgiving Break.
As a result, the usual month-long process of filing, campaigning and voting was cut in half.

Students interested in running for an SGA position had to file their intent no later than Nov. 6. And with the exception of presidential candidate Brian Wood, who was officially added to the ballot Thursday night, they all did. That left a little over one week for the candidates to begin their campaigning.

But one week is hardly enough.

Without the proper amount of time, candidates can’t adequately inform the student body about their platforms. They can’t demonstrate their leadership skills. They can hardly even get their names recognized.
And students can’t make a well-educated decision over who should represent them with just one week to gather data.

Speeding through the campaign process may follow the timetable, but it doesn’t do much more than that.
Perhaps next time, SGA could spend less time bickering and allow more time for candidates to introduce themselves to their future constituents.