Letters: Let juvenile court judges do their jobs. Drink responsibly or not at all.
Juvenile court judges should decide young offenders' fates
On March 16, Prosecutor Lou Tobin argued against passage of House Bill 500, which would end mandatory juvenile bindover.
This bill, which has bipartisan support, simply means a juvenile court judge will be allowed to decide which cases should be transferred to adult court and which cases should remain in the juvenile justice system.
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Tobin appears to suggest that if the bill passes, minors would never be sent to adult court for violent offenses. This is false. A juvenile judge would remain obligated to consider each case fully, and decide if a child should be treated as an adult in a particular case or remain in the juvenile system.
Mandatory bindover prevents a judge’s full look to see what consequences should occur and ignores extenuating circumstances that may call for juvenile intervention.
It takes away a judge’s best judgment and does not always protect the community. How many young offenders automatically sent to potential imprisonment with adults learn more serious crimes?
Letters: Minors go to adult prisons for serious crimes. Changing law risks public safety.
Not every kid belongs in adult court.
Some can be rehabilitated if they remain in the juvenile system. Let the judges be responsible for a due consideration of who should remain there.
Our communities deserve no less.
Ohio should pass House Bill 500.
Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, Retired, Supreme Court of Ohio
Know the guidelines for drinking responsibly
April marks Alcohol Responsibility Month, a time for adults to reflect on their alcohol consumption. According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, adults who drink alcohol should limit intake to two drinks or less a day for men and one drink or less a day for women.
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Knowing what counts as one drink is key to making responsible drinking decisions, but with all the diverse drink options on the market these days, that’s not always easy.
The Distilled Spirits Council has created StandardDrinks.Org, a website that includes a drink calculator to help consumers count the number of standard drinks in their beverage and other resources on responsible and moderate alcohol consumption.
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For many adults, being able to enjoy a cocktail and reconnect with family members and friends over the past year has been a source of great joy. While the overwhelming majority of adults who choose to drink, do so responsibly, there are some people who shouldn’t drink, and it’s important for individuals to talk to their physicians if they have questions about alcohol consumption.
Amanda Berger, Ph.D., Vice President, Science and Health, Distilled Spirits Council
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Reducing unnecessary C-sections reduces some risks
During my first and only pregnancy four years ago, I developed a condition called placenta accreta.
Accreta is an incredibly dangerous complication that occurs when the placenta—the organ that my body grew to feed my baby in utero—embeds itself too deeply in the uterine wall. Ultimately, I needed a blood transfusion, emergency interventions, and a hysterectomy to survive my pregnancy.
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Most patients who develop placenta accreta have one or more risk factors—the most common of which is one or more prior Cesarean, or C-section. Every C-section increases a woman's risk for accreta in a subsequent pregnancy.
April is Cesarean Awareness Month, and I want expecting moms to know their birth options. Cesareans can be life-saving procedures for moms and babies.
However, experts estimate that as many as half of C-sections performed in the U.S. could be safely avoided. One in 272 pregnancies now result in accreta like mine, primarily because of increased Cesareans. I want fewer moms to experience birth trauma from this condition.
Learn more by visiting the National Accreta Foundation at preventaccreta.org/CAM.
Joree Novotny, Volunteer Board Member, National Accreta Foundation
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: What are the consequences of sending minors to adult prisons?
