Some 'pro-lifers' really anti-life
The full-page ad in The Daily Star for May 12, paid for Coalition For Life, was quite impressive. I might be more impressed if such groups were not so often the same ones that malign Planned Parenthood clinics by referring to them as "abortion clinics." These groups want to close the clinics and cut all aid to families who need help with child-raising issues.
"Anti-abortionists" generally oppose any provision of birth-control information and even realistic sex education. Compassion for pregnant women is fine, but what about post-natal care and the growing years?
I believe these "pro-life people," with their narrow-minded "principles" of "family values," are as anti-life as those who promote and profit from war _ possibly even more so.
William F. Roberts
Otego
Mediation can help with disputes
It was with great sadness that we read the recent articles in your paper regarding an alleged dispute between neighbors that resulted in the death of six horses. As a community organization that serves the residents of Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties with alternative dispute resolution services, we want to remind readers about the services that our agency offers, which help individuals and families resolve their disputes peacefully and which also might have helped prevent this sad scenario.
The Dispute Resolution Center of Chenango, Delaware and Otsego Counties, a program of Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties, offers free and low-cost mediation services to county residents. Mediation is an informal process in which trained, neutral mediators guide people to develop mutually beneficial agreements to which they will be committed. Mediation is confidential and voluntary.
In our communities, there are about 50 trained volunteer mediators who use their professional expertise and experience to help people listen to each other and understand each other's point of view.
Mediators assist parties in creating a mutually acceptable agreement. Mediators do not make decisions or give legal advice, but they do guide discussions so that people can focus on figuring out what makes sense in their unique situation and how to put a plan into action.
Mediations can be scheduled at convenient times and in convenient locations and may cover any number of conflicts such as customer/merchant, neighbor/neighbor, landlord/tenant, small claims, family issues, eldercare, special education or agricultural mediation to name just a few.
We invite residents in Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties to contact our office by telephone at 432-0061 or to check out the website www.charitiesccdo.org for further information. We hope that by reminding readers about the Dispute Resolution Center we can better serve our neighbors.
Lynn Glueckert
Oneonta
Glueckert is the executive director of Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties.
