P»**22

The Herald and The Lantern

Wednesday, April 23.1980

Caution, Mom ||> m irrrihlr public hralth problem ll doenn'l hurt the parent* many e*trnt. but it'»devaluating to the fetus. Thcise were the words of a stale health official at last Wednesday's conference at the ( ounty Health Dept to discuss statistics to date on occurrences of miscarriages and birth detects in the county WIIII.K Tilt: INSKt TKTDK Sevin has been merit limed by some people t not public hbalth itithorities as a possible Cause of the abnormal pregnancies, the official quoted above was referring to cigarette smoke, alcohol, aspirin, and other common substances which are nevertheless harmful to the- fetus especially during the earlier stages of fetal development • Another state health qfficial opined tjjal household substances, because of confines and concentrations, probably pose mote of a hazard to the baby-to-be than chemical agents and pollution outside the home which arc diluted by the air WIIII.K TIIK ItKI-ATIONSIIII’ of Sevin to' fetal deaths and abnormalities continues to be studied, one warning is unequivocal:. Ex-(a-ctant mothers, especially early on in their pregnancy, should take every precaution not lo allow, harmful substances to invade their Ixxlies This is not to -minimize tin- possible deleterious effects of Sevin: but it is to emphasize the extreme care a mother must take with any foreign substance months before her baby is Ixirn Good & Bad Freeholder (Jerald Thornton made a good recommendation and a bad suggest ion it he same day last Wednesday during separate gatherings on different issues"of tremendous public concern <* His recommendation came during a conference by health officials called to allay a near iiamc among many pregnant women and others concerned over the incidence of fetal abnormalities in the county I which apparently aren't as unusual as they first appeared I. Wit. THORNTON TOLD HIS audience of over TO concerned parents that he recommended the use of a safe bacterial agent (BTI over the'chemical carbaryl (Sevin) as an insecticide used to control gypsy moths. .He indicated that while he didn't know of any scientific data that has linked the use of Sevin and human fetal disorders he nevertheless lK-lieved it Would Ik- psychologically more reassuring lor pregnant women if government would use the more costly BT process. l-iler that afternoon. Mr. Thornton made a statement .before an audience of more than loo, mostly senior citizens, during a state hearing on the proposed $80 million rate increase ol Atlantic Electric. AT DNK POINT UK AI.Ll'DKD to the possibility of'Jersey ('ape- consumers just not paying their electric bills altogether: "What the he'll would Atlantic City Electric do if we didn't pay our eleptric bills?” he said, adding he would be the lirst lo slop paying if he thought it would preclude such rale increases. His suggestion was greeted with footslomping. hand clapping approval. Being an effective public servant requires making many tough decisions and taking stands on controversial issues. Often common sense will dictate the right answer, as with Mr Thornton's suggestion about the pesticide. It's the easy thing to say. like his stop-paying comment, that often does more harm than good

WOllam J.

Darrafl Kopp Pubhthw Kon« M7-U1) for Now* or AdvortUInf Information

Now* A PKofo* Advertising ClewHled Advertising

i mWIM«4 tw pvfclkatlvn.

FAVORITE PANORAMA throunhout the year for resident,and visitor alike I* this view of the li((hthouiie adjacent to Cape May Point. St. Mary * Convent is silhouetted lo the left, and between them is the borough

water tank. The expanse of shoreline to the right is South Cape May, site of a small town whose homes were hashed * away or moved away more than a generation ago.

IhOuel

FIRST CALL FOR^HELP 729-2255 Q, In Philadelphia there is a Catholic Services Assoc which helps all people with problems. I am new in this county and I would like to know if there is anything like this in Cape May County? A. I am glad you asked, and welcome to the county. There is a very active Catholic Social Services Agency in the county located on Rt. 9 in

Burleigh.

They handle Family and Individual Counseling for

Freedom

adults and adolescents, Crisis Intervention, Dnjgs and Alcohol Coipmunity Education and Pregnancy Testing among other

services.

For further information call Wayne Whelan at 465-

Q. Besides running an

Information Bureau, what other services does the County Chamber of

Commerce provide? A. Your County Chamber

of Commerce does a lot for people — directly and indirectly Their main location is on the Parkway at Crest Haven Rd. in Cape May Court House and is open year round. They also

operate the Seaville Information Center on the Parkway during the summer season. They provide the following services: olnformation to out of county visitors needing maps, directions, information and accommodations. •Extensive information to residents. •Public, legislative and environmental affairs; linking public with the county business community. •Economic development and economic education. •An up-to-date library of business publications and reports.

• For further information on your County Cha mber of Commerce, call 465-7181. + -M-' First (all for Help is interested in getting you the help you need when you have a social service problem which you can’t solve. This Isn’t an Emergency Hotline -for Fire, Police or Rescue. The service is free and confidential'. If you have a question for the First Call for Help Column, write to David G. Quinlan, First Call for Help, Social Services Bldg., P.O. Box 222, Rio Grande. N.J. 08242, or Call 729-2255.

By Barbara F'itz Vroman

Freedom Is messy. Any woman who has watched her baby pour orange juice in his hair and mash peas on his highchair tray can tell you how messy it is to allow the child to learn to eat on his own. Any totalitarian dictator will tell you how much easier it is to get rid of drug addicts, prostitutes and enemies of the state in a country where there are no First Amendmenttype guarantees. In a totalitarian state things can be done quickly and with order. You would never have to put up w ith Nazis marching through Skokie Freedom is dangerous. Many parents feel a certain sinking of the heart the first time they hand over the car keys to their 16-year-old He or she could get killed in that traffic jungle out there TOTALITARIAN DICTATORS understand well how dangerous freedom can be Free ideas can threaten the plans of the state so the press must be controlled. Free assemblage must bo curtailed for the same reason Travel must be restricted, for citizens might try to escape the rigors imposed by the other curtailments or might bring back undesirable ideas F’rredom is demanding* The ' now " woman wants the dignity and benefits of equality She finds she cannot have freedom without giving up dependency and a measure of safety Freedom demands risks and the assumption of responsibility. The totalitarian ruler knows how demanding freedom is. That is his trump card He promises order, security and release from the uncertainty and terror of freedom The masses are promised an even slice of the communal pie whether their effort is slack or diligent (Never (hind

that the diligent soon become so discouraged they too become slack, and the communal pic has to be sliced in thin slices.) WHAT DOES THE First Amendment mean to me'’ It means that I have the freedom from being forced to fit into someone else’s preconceived plan of what I should do or be. It means that I have the freedom to explore my own avenues and enticements, The First Amendment gives me the freedom to enjoy the success of my efforts It allows me the responsibility,as well, of facing my failures so that I may learn and grow from them. The First Amendment protects ideas, and everything in the world — from the buttons on my blouse to Social Security — begins as an idea in somebody's head. WHEN YOU HAMPER a man's ideas, or the expression of those ideas, you hamper his soul, the very essence of i.'is being By guaranteeing the free exchange of ideas, the First Amendment ensures that I will live in a society fermenting with change and innovation The First Amendment is my guarantee of messy, demanding, dangerous, exhilerating, creative, productive freedom. And. as any parent can tell you, freedom is the only route to full development of human capacity.

Barbara Fiti Vroman, a freelance author and mother of four children, lives on a farm near Hancock. Wis.fhis essay won first prize in the national contest on "What the First Amendment Means to Me." sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers. Inc. and the Ohio Newspaper Foundation.

the SOVEREIGN STATE of AFFAIRS

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