European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Quit the Freebie of giving birth James Morse Congress continues to Haggle Over the question of whether the government should pay for abortions for women for whom it already pays other health care costs. Most people would probably agree that induced abortions Are in a different category from other surgical procedures mainly because a Strong minority of taxpayers Are opposed to providing abortion services for anyone no matter who pays for it. Many would also consider plastic surgery that is for purely cosmetic reasons to be in still another category particularly when it comes to deciding who is responsible for paying for the procedure. What is strange is that hardly anyone nowadays except the department of veterans affairs considers the care of Normal pregnancy and delivery to also be in a different category from the care of sicknesses and injuries. The a has always excused itself from providing obstetrical services to female veterans on the grounds that uncomplicated pregnancy is not a disease no matter How a a sick the affected woman May feel at times. Expecting insurance that was designed to care for our unavoidable sickness and injuries to also pay for what is neither unavoidable nor a sickness is like expecting our car collision insurance or extended warranty to also pay for any additional motor vehicle we May decide to acquire. That May be Why More thought and financial planning Are often Given to the Purchase of an additional car than is Given to the acquisition of another child. One rarely purchases a car by Accident. 1 both the German and american governments seem More concerned about the problems that Are caused by the presence of excessive numbers of motor vehicles on their highways than they Are about the problems that Are caused by excessive numbers of people on Earth. At least they Are doing things to discourage the ownership of More cars at the same time they Are subsidizing the production of More people. Perhaps its time the full Cost of ownership of either become the full responsibility of those who choose to have them. The need for a government to encourage women to have More babies As a Cannon fodder should have gone out with the nazis. This does no to mean that prenatal and birth services should be curtailed. Its in the interest of All of us that All babies be born healthy and that their mothers survive to care for them. Loans to cover the costs of pregnancy care should be available for All those who need them but it should be Clear that they Are Loans and not Grants. Even if Many of the Loans Are never repaid just Ais those made for educational purposes often Arent the message is still there and subject to deduction from future income tax refunds or government wages. Pregnancy should be something to be budgeted for not an illness to be insured for. Of course complications should be covered by medical insurance but the Basic costs of the delivery should be the responsibility of the family concerned. Any subsidies or tax Breaks that the government pays out in this area should be for the purpose of encouraging people to adopt unwanted children that Are already Here rather than for encouraging others to continue to produce even More despite their being unable or unwilling to pay the entire costs themselves. How might the armed forces be affected by such a policy certainly no other organization does More financially to encourage pregnancy among its families than the armed forces of the United states. Besides covering the costs of prenatal care and delivery they give the pregnant servicewomen time off with pay just As though she had been incapacitated with an unavoidable illness. The Only thing remaining is for them to give the new father maternity leave also. Should there not be some limit to the number of pre fancies that the government May pay for in any one military family it Isnit too soon for the developed countries to begin looking for places where they can discourage overpopulation even within their own Borders. Or must we wait until there is standing room Only when As some wag said the birthrate has got to go Down col. James Morse it stationed at Lan Stuhl Germany. For the record Send in your column plus photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37, d-64278 Darmstadt Germany Roger Ruthberg i his is an obituary for an old dear Friend. He has been with me for As Long As i can remember and not Long ago i  picture an existence without him. He has on different occasions made my life go round sometimes in circles sometimes head miss a beat and sometimes he was just Hung up. I speak of my old companion the record. The Vinyl one whether the familiar Long player up for Short the 45 rpm single or the old shellac 78. It seems that Vinyl has become a thing of the past except for maybe something to tile your Kitchen floor with. Even the pm stopped stocking album versions of new releases some time ago. Cd and cassettes Are the wave. The familiar record album has joined the 8-track on the scrap Heap of technology to occasionally surface at Flea markets and garage sales. The passing of the Vinyl record was brought Home to me last year when i was visiting a Friend for the holidays. He was showing me his new cd player that had recently replaced his old record player and was bubbling about a certain cd when he spoke with Gleeful anticipation of the Best song on the cd the a last song on this  this was the moment i had to explain to him that there was Only Side to these newfangled contraptions. No Side one Side two no Side a and Side b. A Hall and Oates album had even a Little fun with this one Side being Side one the other Side a. I shall miss the Large album jackets As opposed to the microscopic Little pictures and text that adorn the cassettes and cd even when they fold out to roughly the size of an album. And what is to become of that childhood pastime wearing album covers on your head so that they like Napoleons hat. I am not looking Forward to the Day when my daughter will look at me and ask a dad what does that mean to sound like an old record a or a what do they mean by flip Side a and a Why is Billy idols greatest hits cd called vital Vinyl a so rest in peace my old Friend. In a not about to give up my 900 albums and 200 45s. And As Long As they keep making turntable cartridges and Needles. Ill keeping spinning on and on round and round. Chief warrant officer 2 Roger Ruthberg is stationed in Darmstadt  laugh just Pocai. Switzerland contents from the cover. 4-6 Black american history. Sidelights Andy Rooney s hopeful list. Odds amp ends. Miss manners on miscarriage reaction. 10 in tune. 11 Charles Kuralt a show turns 15. This weeks films. 12-13 Chuck Emch sees  military circuit listings. Television listings 14-17 local Cable and satellite schedules. Home entertainment. 18 Quot Rookie of the year Quot has a Ball. Words amp wit. 20 Tony  up in Atlanta. Mia Amati Kaaa Aaan a aah May my 21 22-23 voices. Joe Bob Briggs on Long lasting geeks. Cosby and Culp the old spies Are Back on to. Books. 24-25 Naomi Wolf s feminism. Harriet Beecher Stowe a life and times. On Parade a a a  27 the gop lineup for 1996. Last laugh. Dave Barry hits the right buttons. 28 sunday is a weekly supplement of the stars and stripes editor Bucky Fox Art direction Susan Harris production Bernard Jensen editorial assistance Louis Pierce Page 2 sunday a february 6, 1994