Letters To The Editor

IN THE PAPER

Reaction to birth photo horrifying

I am truly horrified about what I have been seeing in the paper recently involving a woman giving birth. My problem is not with the picture and the article, both of which were great, but rather about the letters to the editor.

There was nothing readers could see in the picture that they wouldn’t have seen at the lake any day this summer. And if a young child asked his or her parents why the baby was in the bed, what better opportunity could you have to explain about where babies come from?

Readers often criticize the paper for only covering murders and scandals. Prominent coverage of such a wonderful event as the birth of a healthy baby should be applauded, not criticized. Henry S. Berman, M.D. Spokane

Birth photo a sorry bid for shock value

I’m extremely disappointed in editor Chris Peck’s column (“Photo wasn’t meant to be offensive,” Perspective, Sept. 13) regarding the printing of the colored photograph of the woman having a baby splashed across the front page.

I was also very angry over the photograph and thought the individual the story was supposed to be about got lost over the picture. Now, what was the story about? And who?

In Peck’s column there was no mention of assurance that The Spokesman-Review would use better judgment when such an opportunity arose in the future. This is what I wanted to hear, not patronizing and an “oh well” attitude. The Spokesman- Review should be maintaining the integrity of the community and its readers. However, perhaps you think more papers will sell by shock and disgust. If 200 people sent in their response to this dreadful picture, how many others missed the window of opportunity to also express their outrage over such insensitivity?

I don’t believe the Spokesman-Review has ever listened to its readers and acted accordingly. Years ago there used to be a committee of “responsible” people to make certain such pictures did not appear in the newspaper. What happened to them? Did The Spokesman-Review think readership would decline if they could no longer shock and disgust the public? W.J. Crawford Veradale, Wash.

A tasteful, excellent illustration

As a mother of two with another one due any day now, I have to say that I would not want a picture of me giving birth on the front page of the paper (or anywhere else, for that matter). However, I think it was very tastefully done and was an excellent illustration of the article it accompanied.

I hope that neither the midwife who delivered the baby nor the parents are discouraged by some of the mean-spirited things I have been hearing and reading. Nola R. Barrett Spokane

‘Great to see new life’

I was proud to see Joe Schaeffer delivering that young child into the world. With all the problems we have with the economy and all the other negatives, a brand new birth is very exciting.

Schaeffer delivered both of our children and I was proud to see his picture on the front page. I was also proud to see the new baby he delivered into the world. It’s great to see new life being generated. Thank you. William C. Poffenroth Spokane

Birth presented ‘in a beautiful way’

I want to respond to the horrendous letters that were printed about the beautiful birthing picture that ran on Sept. 7.

I don’t know how they can say this is something terrible, disgusting and inappropriate for children. I think children should know where they come from. It was presented in a very beautiful way and should open discussions between parents and children and not be seen as something so horrible. Andrea M. Nall Newport, Wash.

No respect for we who prefer stork tale

I believe (birth photo subject) Heidi Smith as well as editor Chris Peck missed the point.

Witnessing a birth has become a rite of passage, but only if the woman giving birth invites someone to participate and that person accepts the invitation. The difference is, each party made a conscious decision based on their own choice. We had no choice to whether or not we wanted to see Smith splashed open-legged across our newspaper. If we, as parents, still want our children to believe they came from a stork, isn’t that our prerogative?

I very much appreciate knowing the whereabouts of Mrs. Smith and her son when he reaches the age of 3. I’d be more than willing to barge into her living room, uninvited and unannounced, to inform him that there is no tooth fairy, Easter bunny or Santa Claus. Chances are that she’s already informed him about the stork. Joan L. Manwill Cusick, Wash.

Birth a ‘great front page story’

Bravo, editor Chris Peck, and thank you, Marcus and Heidi Smith and staff writer Jeanette White for sharing the wonderful birth of Olijawan Trey, one of Spokane’s newest members.

What a great front page story for a change. In the midst of scandal, a failing drug war, pollution and heartache, here is this messy, squirmy, precious gift of life. Congratulations to all involved. Keep up this happy kind of reporting. Stravo Lukos Spokane

Births beat violence stories

I’m flabbergasted at the amount of negative letters concerning an event that made front page news on Sept. 7. I would prefer every day to see pictures of a new life entering this world than the many acts of violence that usually dominate our news.

The birth of a child is a miracle of God, a beautiful event and a fact of life. My children were told, as I was pregnant with the next, where the baby grew and where it would make its entrance. The have now all grown into happy, well-adjusted adults with children of their own. I don’t see any signs they were hurt by this early knowledge.

Get a grip, you prudes. Susan F. Martin Spokane

Don’t pass up sharing in miracles

For those who wrote in on Sept. 11, about the picture of the Smith’s having their baby on the front page of the paper on Labor Day, this is for you.

Consider that it was just what the family wanted. They wanted to share this time of love, and such a blessed event, with others. Consider that the miracle of birth is nothing to be ashamed about. I saw it as a great privilege to be a part of their son’s birth.

Spokane, being too conservative, is having to miss out on the miracles of life. Consider that. Abigal L. Crawford Spokane

Most beautiful S-R picture I’ve seen

I was extremely pleased to see the article on nurse-midwife Joe Shaeffer. Shaeffer is my personal hero. My husband and I have two girls and he attended both births. Birth is a wonderful experience and so is working with Shaeffer.

When our first daughter was born in April,1997 everything went smoothly with Shaeffer arriving at the hospital shortly after we did. Our second girl, born July 1998, was a little different. He was on vacation for a week, having left the day I was due. I decided I did not want to have a baby without him, so I waited. Our second baby was born a week late, with Shaeffer there.

Some people have been outraged by the picture and the article. It is the most beautiful picture I’ve ever seen in The Spokesman-Review. Birth is amazing and it was wonderful of the couple to share it with others.

People have responded that birth is private, which it is if that’s the way some parents want it to be. However, I believe that it is a gift when parents share the experience of birth with others.

People who did not like the article should quit grumbling and be thankful the couple cared enough to share such a wondrous moment with the rest of us.

Thank you, Shaeffer, for being you and thank you to the Smiths for sharing a precious moment. Andrea B. Eliassen Mead

Ignore unfortunate negative reaction

Re: Sept. 7 front page photo.

Please don’t let the negative response you’ve received discourage you from continuing to include such content in your paper. I applaud editor Chris Peck’s Perspective column on the subject, especially what midwife Joe Shaeffer said about violence vs. normal, healthy loving human behavior.

To all the so-called open-minded conservatives (what an oxymoron) out there who complained about the picture: If you haven’t done your job as parents in teaching your children at least a little about where babies come from by the time they’re 5 or 6, you have no right to complain about sex education in schools. What more could you ask for to help you continue their learning about life in a spontaneous, natural way than a tasteful, beautiful photo in the daily newspaper?

My own two sons, 9 and 7, saw the photo and asked about the umbilical cord. I used that opportunity to further their understanding and was grateful for it.

Our society has too long held a twisted view of what is appropriate and what is not when it comes to sex and violence. When I see mothers nursing their infants in public places, when I read articles like the one on last Monday and when I see people openly displaying affection for one another, I know we’re still human beings who feel love and care for one another, and are not ashamed. Alice L. Gerwin Hayden

Miracle worth sharing, celebrating

Re: “Special Delivery” (Sept. 7)

Thank you for the wonderful article with its beautiful, tasteful pictures. Birth is a miracle in which we humans are allowed the starring roles. When we shroud it in secrecy and degrade it with words like “disgust,” we rob it of the dignity and wonder it deserves.

Look at the faces of the parents and midwife Joe Shaeffer! I see a peaceful mother and a father engrossed in the miracle he not only helped create but helped bring forth as well. What could be a better way to help prepare other couples for their children’s birth or a better tool to help explain the miracle of birth to children? I’m sure many thoughtful parents have kept the article for just that purpose.

Thirty-some years ago, my husband and I viewed a filmed birth during my second pregnancy. As a result, he chose to be with me and take an active part in that and successive births. We are grateful to the couple who had the courage and self-confidence to allow a camera into the delivery room. I only wish we had seen the film before our first child’s birth.

As for those who were disgusted by it, get real. I’d rather explain those pictures to my grandchildren than the morality of the meager pay and benefits for day care workers as stated in the article following “Special Delivery.” Joan M. Lewis Spokane

Making the most of miracles

Re: Joe Shaeffer article (Sept. 7).

When pregnant with my second child my OB-GYN seemed uninterested in my excitement. My husband attended a Dad’s class the second month of my pregnancy and came home raving about the instructor, Joe Shaeffer. We decided he our guy and switched our care over to him. That was the best decision we ever made.

Shaeffer’s colleague, Marie McCarter-Witherell was our childbirth educator. She was a riot. Not only did we attend her Lamaze classes but took our daughter to her Children at Birth class. The kids ranged from 5 to 11 years old. When McCarter-Witherell brought in a fresh placenta, the adults got queasy while the kids oohed and ahed. We all watched a graphic birth and toured the maternity ward at Sacred Heart. I assure you none of the kids was scarred that night. They were enlightened. My husband and I looked forward to every appointment with Shaeffer, he made us feel so special.

When I showed the front page picture to my daughter, the first thing she said was, “Hey, that’s Joe!” In other words, she didn’t see tacky, disgusting and tasteless. She saw a baby being born.

So, to Heidi and Marcus Smith we say, congratulations! And man, Heidi, you looked good for having just given birth. Mary K. and Robert J. Taylor Mead

OTHER TOPICS

Rape: False reporting a lesser problem

Recent media attention has focused on the false reporting of rape. Some suggest that those who do this should be punished. Perhaps someone who works with victims living in fear of an offender or coping with the stigma of sexual assault can offer a reality check.

Rape wounds the human spirit in a viciously unique way. Survivors are left with a sense of shame, worthlessness and loss of control that severely impacts their ability to lead productive, creative lives. Healing is lengthy and difficult, especially when the offender is someone known to the victim, as in over 80 percent of cases. Many survivors say they would choose death over being raped.

A survivor of intimate partner rape eloquently spoke to the plight of many victims in a recent letter to me: “I can attest to the fact that the victim was made to seem the guilty party while the guilty party was set free. This only allows the guilty to go free to strike again and the victim remains on an emotional roller coaster. … Every day becomes a new challenge and is harder than the last to live with. How fair is that?”

Our culture seems to believe it’s common for people to lie about being sexually assaulted or that victims are usually people who make poor choices. In fact, sexual assault happens to one in four females and to one in seven males.

We should be focusing our outrage on those who are getting away with raping, rather than the rare individual who would falsely report. Darby Stewart, program director Spokane Sexual Assault Center

Public comments and is ignored

I was devastated to see that the LC Annex will be destroyed, Why?

When important issues are put before the public in forums for people to view their opinions, who listens? With all the efforts of Steven Franks, with the Spokane Preservation Advocates and others, interested folks should be applauded.

Not only is the annex taken away, but South Central, too. How does this affect the status of LC on the National Register of Historic Places? Why not upgrade the annex and save history instead of destroying it?

Another case of public input on deaf ears. Sara A. Caldwell Spokane

Gambling one entertainment that pays

The entire gambling debate is a joke. The American citizen has the freedom to choose how to spend his or her entertainment money. Entertainment options include sports, concerts, theater shows, golf, skiing, movies, fine dining, bowling, gambling, shopping, boating and travel. All of these guarantee financial loss except one: gambling. Therefore, it could be said gambling is one of the wisest ways to entertain ourselves.

So, anti-gamblers, let’s not judge one another. Let’s not push our “morals” and preferences on one another. Let’s respect our differences and respect our freedom to choose.

I do acknowledge there is a threat to gamble excessively, as with all ways to spend money. However, the majority of people who file for bankruptcy or who carry huge credit care debts didn’t do it gambling, they did it by spending excessively, either on entertainment or material things.

Gambling always has been and always will be a part of society. It is a fun and potentially profitable form of entertainment. Hurrah for the freedom to choose! Michael H. Thain Chewelah, Wash.