Mangiaracina : Life began nine months earlier

If life begins at conception and not at birth, we must consider the consequences of changing this belief.

Let’s start small. People alive or dead are approximately nine months older than their current age, so we must solve the problems this creates.

U.S. Census figures for every 10-year period beginning with 1790 will need to be revised. We cannot have demographers across America using inaccurate historical information.

After finishing this task, we will need to start building a database of every person with a known birth and death date, so we can add nine months to his or her life span.

The day we decide life begins at conception will be a good one for conservative political commentator Ann Coulter. She will applaud the 5-4 Supreme Court decision that women do not have a right to an abortion. Justice Antonin Scalia will write the majority opinion: “We could not find the part of The Constitution guaranteeing a woman the right to choose. We have decided that Jefferson was right when he wrote, ‘All men are created equal.’ Sorry, women.”

Following this, Congress will find the need to take a stand against those who insist life begins at birth. The Speaker of the House will say, “To those of you who believe life begins at birth, you are simply wrong. Life begins at conception — didn’t you know that? If you disagree, we will give you a free T-shirt to persuade you.”

Once Congress announces the human race has simply been mistaken in its definition of life for the past 6,000 years, a panic will sweep the nation.

Teenagers will mob convenience stores nationwide, requesting packs of cigarettes. Society is not ready to handle such a rapid-fire increase in high school students trying to become “cool.” We must smash this excess self-esteem before it leads to bullying and a tragic shortage of respectable, single, young women.

This is why we must station fathers, columnists and other realists at convenience stores nationwide. Outside the great windows filled with artificially-flavored snack foods, these brave volunteers will carry offensive slogans to humble the arrogant teenagers.

The more belligerent the signs, the better they’ll be. Slogans like, “You’ve accomplished nothing,” “No one likes you” and “You’ve made Phillip Morris proud!” should work.

We must not forget the 20-year-olds, though. We can team the National Rifle Association with bar and liquor store owners across the country.

We will arm them with 9mm pistols and Uzis — for self-defense only. These business owners will need all the help they can get as hoards of 20-year-olds descend, locust-like on our alcohol emporiums, shouting, “Life begins at conception. Gimme a Budweiser!”

As the chaos in the streets unfolds, fetuses across America will rejoice. Kicks of joy will reverberate inside the wombs of pregnant women. At the same time Fox News will air an exclusive interview with a fetus. After five minutes of silence, Bill O’Reilly will proclaim, “Ha, what now, you liberal bastards! Looks like the rights of the unborn have triumphed over your communist ideals.”

While The Factor’s music fades, so will Roe v. Wade. In its place a struggle will begin — again for a safer, less ashamed and less dogmatic society.

Mangiaracina is a Lenexa senior in journalism.

 

Related articles

Choice of a Lifetime

/news/2006/apr/13/jp_choiceofalifetime/

Mangiaracina: Let’s focus on laundry desegregation

Make the important issue — whites separated from darks — key in ...

/news/2008/jan/25/mangiaracina/

Thornbrugh: Textbooks ignore women’s triumphs

History should not favor one sex over the other.

/news/2008/mar/27/thornbrugh/

Letter to the Editor: Abortion a necessary ...

One mistake, her fault or not, should not condemn a woman for ...

/news/2007/may/07/letter_editor/

Pill poppin' perils

The pill that allows you sexual freedom actually represses your desire for ...

/news/2008/nov/20/pill_poppin_perils/

Hawk Topics

Raine Reviews: News You Can Use

/news/2007/apr/26/hawk_topics/

Alternative forms of birth control available to ...

The pill, natural family planning and Plan B are among birth control ...

/news/2008/jul/14/planb/

Does gender matter in politics?

Kelly Cosby and Billy McCroy discuss women in politics.

/news/2011/oct/27/gender-doesnt-matter/

Minster: Critics of Kansas’ tourism slogan are ...

The tourism slogan of, “As Big as You Think” works against the ...

/news/2007/aug/27/Minster/

The Hookup

Our weekly sex and relationship columnist responds.

/news/2012/feb/22/hookup/

Lawson: Choice does not mean anti-life or ...

/news/2006/apr/17/op_lawson/

Onions: Women in the workforce and the ...

Women who want to have high-power careers face many unique challenges.

/news/2012/mar/08/onions-women-workforce/

Unexpectedly Expecting: Taé's story

Taé, broken-hearted and pregnant at 16, faces pressure from her family and ...

/news/2010/apr/21/unexpectedly-expecting-taes-story/

Birth control prices could decrease

A new law opens up the possibility for lower prices on birth ...

/news/2009/apr/20/birth_control/

Cosby: Saudi Arabia not alone in gender ...

Recent feminine progress in Saudi Arabia illuminates issues close to home.

/news/2011/oct/03/cosby-saudi-arabia-not-alone-gender-inequality/

Overworked students' dangerous race against time

Is too much work and too little time putting students' health at ...

/news/2011/apr/28/time-not-our-side/

Stewart: Aborted fetuses on giant signs distract ...

No double standards, no giant aborted fetuses on signs, no more distractions ...

/news/2008/apr/16/aborted_fetuses_giant_signs_distract_actual_issue/

Free: Pregnancy issues the problem, not abortion

Where people stand on the contentious issue is not as important as ...

/news/2011/jan/28/free-pregnancy-issues-problem-not-abortion/

Reichert: What you should be aware of ...

/news/2008/nov/16/reichert_writeythingies/

Thornbrugh: Where I found models of grassroots ...

/news/2008/dec/04/thornbrugh_grassroots/

Ghost world

As winter approaches, downtown Lawrence’s sizeable homeless population must deal with crowded ...

/news/2008/dec/10/ghost_world/

'Vagina Monologues' will aid domestic abuse victims

Although cast members are a bit nervous for their parents' reactions to ...

/news/2008/mar/28/vagina/

Sex Spoofs

/news/2005/may/05/jayplay_contact_myths/

Thornbrugh: How can abortion be compared to ...

/news/2008/sep/04/thornbrugh_how_can_abortion_be_compared_slavery/

Letter: Why men should take birth control

/news/2008/sep/30/letter_why_men_should_take_birth_control/

Winning T-shirt slogans revealed

The contest to create new slogans to replace the “Muck Fizzou” shirt ...

/news/2007/nov/12/Shirt/

Cartledge: Double standard persists between men and ...

Why is it that women who enjoy sex are considered sluts, and ...

/news/2009/jan/26/cartledge_double/

Abnormal arms, but ample ability

How one student aims to transform disability's definition.

/news/2010/apr/15/abnormal-arms-ample-ability/

Onions: U.S. still has to work on ...

The U.S. still has a ways to go before achieving gender equality.

/news/2012/jan/26/onions-us-still-has-work-becoming-world-leader-wom/

/comments/cr/33/9370/#c5289

Swing low, fly high: Bipolar disorder affects ...

From trying to fly from atop Fraser Hall to swallowing a bottle ...

/news/2006/may/08/bipolar/

Mangiaracina: Prostitution 21st century prohibition

Legalization of prostitution will help society.

/news/2008/apr/25/prostitution_21st_century_prohibition/

Single and Sparkling

/news/2005/feb/10/jayplay_features_single/

Alumna in running to be first ‘green ...

Juliana Tran will find out tonight whether she has won Project Green ...

/news/2009/nov/06/alumna-green-girl/

Pesky pimples

What causes acne and how you can treat it

/news/2007/aug/16/pesky_pimples/

Mangiaracina: How businesses profit from breast cancer

/news/2008/nov/14/mangiaracina/

A look at KU's changing face of ...

University's turbulent past has evolved into a somewhat tranquil state of activism.

/news/2009/dec/04/activism/

Free: Court ruling a victory for equal ...

The LGBT scored a major victory earlier this month in the overturning ...

/news/2010/aug/19/free-court-ruling-victory-equal-rights/

Malicious Intimacy

Four students' experiences with domestic violence.

/news/2011/may/04/malicious-intimacy/

Home sweet home

/news/2005/aug/25/casa_volunteers/

Comments

Couldn't have said it better.

I have seen a lot of garbage in the UDK. Today I saw four whole columns of garbage. I can now die a happy man

Tongue firmly in cheek, I take it?

vladislav and bobjockins: This is the Opinion section. If you don't like what you read, write something better. Just complaining about how bad a story might be does nothing constructive.

I think this is piece supposed to be sarcastic, just for some of the previous posters edification.

Again, absurd assumptions lead to absurd conclusions. You should have been able to figure that out from the article vlad.

"All men are created equal" is justification for murder?

I just love it when people don't understand the point of this article... it's not about murder, it's about a satire. Perhaps if you disagree with the writer, you should write something equally satirical just to get your own kicks and giggles.

"All men are created equal.’ Sorry, women.”

Sign in to comment