http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpfarago12041205apr12,1,7236664.story
?coll=orl-opinion-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

Toxics more valuable than democracy?


By Alan Farago | Special to the Orlando Sentinel
Posted April 12, 2005

Recently, three farm-worker families in a neighborhood of Immokalee gave birth to severely
deformed children -- one without arms or legs, one without the capacity to keep his tongue
from sliding back into his throat, and one without a nose, an ear and with no visible sexual
organs. The story was reported in the Palm Beach Post, "Why was Carlitos born this way?"

These three families share the same neighborhood, work with the same agricultural
chemicals, and they are from the same deeply religious community devoted to the living
lessons of Christ.

More infants than we care to acknowledge are being denied the fundamental liberties
asserted by our democracy because of the exposure of the fetus to toxic chemicals.

Why isn't it the first priority of government to ensure that Creation is cared for and that toxics
don't strip fetuses of their fundamental liberties? Every moment of life is equally valuable,
but if the cell division in the fetus a mother carries is deformed by toxics, equality is
impossible. For these stricken families, happiness, liberty and choice are illusions.