Council wanders afield

In a single meeting this week members of the Boston City Council tackled the issues of 1) federal funding for abortion and 2) goose droppings in city parks. Should there be any confusion they are for the former and against the latter. Many of their constituents, we assume, would prefer to see their attention focused on the goose guano.

Ah, but once again members of the council have decided that the world has been waiting for their input on an issue that is the proper domain of the U.S. Congress. In 2007 it was a call for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. On Wednesday councilors voted to support passage of the EACH Woman act, which would repeal the Hyde amendment, lifting the prohibition on federal funding of abortion.

It’s part of a national campaign by abortion rights supporters who say the Hyde amendment punishes low-income women. The bill before Congress would require abortion coverage under Medicaid and other public insurance programs, and supporters have been urging states and cities to express support with resolutions like the one sponsored by City Councilor Ayanna Pressley.

Naturally the campaign has its own hashtag (#BeBoldEndHyde).

And all well and good if elected officials want to campaign for the amendment’s repeal.

But even better if those elected officials happen to be serving in Congress which actually has some control over the matter.

The goose issue, of course, sounds like a joke, but it stands as sort of a symbol of the local, quality-of-life issues that we suspect many city residents would like their representatives at City Hall to help address. Some city councilors may think that kind of issue is beneath them, preferring to engage in issues of national or international interest — as in, the ones all the cool progressives are talking about on Twitter. It’s hardly the best use of their time.