Panel calls for state-funded abortions
By JENNIFER GREENLEAF
Of the Emerald
If Ballot Measure 7 passes it
could cut off state funding for fam
ily planning clinics if abortion is
mentioned as an alternative, ac
cording to Annalisa Robbed of the
Lane County Planned Parenthood
Association of Lane County.
Robbed spoke Thursday night
in a panel discussion sponsored
by the Mid-Oregon Taxpayers for
Equal Choice (MOTEC), a pro
abodion group.
Opponents of the measure be
lieve its effects are unclear. “The
horrible thing about Measure 7 is
that it is so broad.” said Margie
Hendrickson, a Eugene lawyer
and member of the National
Women s Political Caucus.
According to Hendrickson, the
measure could prevent state med
ical schools from teaching abor
tion procedures, cause abortion
coverage to be dropped from
State employees' health insur
ance and endanger the state
supported amiocentesis program,
which tests unborn fetuses for
serious birth defects.
The ASUO student health in
surance policy has recently added
abortion to its coverage, accord
ing to Lance Bloom of Metzker
and Associates, who handles the
policy.
Hendrickson said that Measure
7 could affect student insurance
coverage of abortion, although it is
uncertain because HEW requires
the company to provide it as part
of pregnancy benefits.
The real issue here is not allow
ing poor people the same choices
as wealthier people,” Hendrick
son said. Although abortion would
remain legal and available to
those who could afford it, poor
women would not be able to
choose to terminate a pregnancy
because they couldn’t get state
funds.
Sara Hendrickson, a Eugene
physician, said that she thinks the
measure would place limits on her
medical practice.
“It could also be carried to other
things,” she said. “What if a group
of taxpayers decides blood trans
fusions are immoral and shouldn’t
be funded?”
Hendrickson said she would
feel immoral about having her tax
dollars spent on compulsory preg
nancy.
Robbert pointed out that it costs
the state about $370 to finance a
welfare abortion. In contrast,
Robbert said, pre-natal care and
delivery for a welfare mother and
child costs taxpayers about
$3,280 per case.
The Lane County Voters pam
phlet estimates that the Measure
would add over $4 million per year
in public assistance money.
The state spent about $230
thousand last year to finance 17
per cent of the 13,000 abortions
performed in Oregon, according
to Oregon vital Health Statistics.
Under present Oregon law,
women on welfare at the time of
conception are allowed on state
financed abortion if they are over
18, or two if they are under 18.
Whale pals to rip roof off
Friends of whales are needed to join a work crew today to tear 100
years of roofing off Eugene's oldest commercial brick building.
Oregonians Cooperating to Protect Whales, the structure’s sole
current occupant, is asking volunteers to come to 873% Willamette St.
at 10 a.m.
Crowbars, shovels, hammers and push brooms, as well as a dump
truck, are still needed for the weekend reroofing project.
For further information, call 485-5144.
EL COMEDOR
MEXICAN RESTAURANT
KIKI DEE featuring
DEE MURRAY & DAVIE JOHNSTON
of the Elton John Band
Wed. Nov. 1 $550
Monday Night is Ladies Night!
Two drinks for the price of One for all unescorted ladies.
Tuesday Night is Tequila Night!
Two tequila drinks for the price of one.
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT SUN SHOP (campus).
.EVERYBODY'S. ODYSSEY RECORDS & THE PLACE
Seating is limited — 21 and over please
106 South Park • TOA WORLD ASSEMBLY PRODUCTION
Page 6
ask the sexpert
Ask the Sexpert is sponsored by
Planned Parenthood of Lane
County and is written by Carole
Kirkpatrick, a local psychologist.
Q. What is a transsexual,
biologically?
A. I am not sure whether you
mean before or after surgical al
teration, so I’ll take both cases. A
potential transsexual is a person
who is anatomically male or
female who feels as though he or
she is actually the opposite sex.
They experience a revulsion for
their own genitalia, and prefer the
dress, mannerisms, interests and
personalities of the opposite sex.
No one knows exactly why a per
son comes to this belief, but it is
usually a very strong conviction .
Because such people cannot be
persuaded to give up their beliefs
we have sex change operations.
After hormone therapy, and a
sex change operation, the person
still carries his/her original
chromosomes but now outwardly
resembles the opposite sex. After
such an operation, one is, of
course, sterile, and usually not as
completely functional as the de
sired sex.
I might also mention that since
there is little public understanding
of transsexualism, male-to
female transsexuals outnumber
female-to-male 10-1. This is
thought to occur because males in
our society experience stronger,
more rigid socialization into the
male role and therefore there are
greater male “casualties.”
Q. What is this I keep hearing
about “natural” birth control?
Where do you get it?
A. With women becoming more
aware of their bodies and less
trusting of traditional contracep
tives, there is increasing interest
in understanding the female body
changes that occur monthly in fer
tile women. If you begin to under
stand that these changse are
natural changes, the phrase
‘natural” birth control makes
sense.
The two major changes that fer
tile women experience each
month are I) elevation of basal
body temperature following ovula
tion and 2) changes in the consis
tency and quantity of mucus at the
time of ovulation. I cannot detail
the method adequately here, but
Planned Parenthood has informa
tion and there are now several
books out on the subject.
I would like to add two warnings.
First, since this method is rela
tively untested, it should not be
used by anyone who is not willing
to risk error and subsequent preg
nancy. Second, to be successful,
one needs to be in a relatively sta
ble life situation with a cooperative
partner. Illness, stress, travel can
all throw off your cycle.
Q. I heard somewhere that a
man wore his jockey shorts too
tight and became sterile. Could I
do the same and keep my
girlfriend from becoming preg
nant?
A. This story (along with its ice
cube counterpart) seems to make
the campus rounds every few
years. The fact is that sperm are
highly sensitive to temperature
changes, and a couple of degrees
either way will prove fatal to a
goodly number of them. However,
as birth control, this is totally unre
liable because one would have to
maintain a constant temperature
and because many sperm (an es
timated 10-day supply) exist out
side the testes.
WACO TWIN
CINEMA
344 3861' 13th OH Franklin Btvd
FRANKUN BLVD.
PH. 344-3861
CALL FOR TIMES
CO-HIT
ELLIOn GOULD
DIANE KEATON
PAUISORVINO
I Will,
I Will
...For Now
WACO TWIN
CINEMA
344-3861 1 3th 011 Franklin Blvd
HELD OVER
CALL
344-3861
FOR SHOW TIMES
After her divorce, Erica got to know
some pretty interesting people...
including herself.
RlRESTRICTB)
_COLOR &V MOVILLAB
HUNTS BY DeLUXE1
fiSrCn
MOUSE
PGj
Friday, Octobar 13,1978