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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1982)
emerald platform Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment which empowers Con gress and state legislatures with the ability to ban abortions. ~ Such an amendment would overturn a nine year old Supreme Court decision legalizing most abortions. It’s likely the issue will come to the Senate floor sometime this spring cort fernaid sidelong glances The proposed constitutional amendment is the singular handiwork of conservative Sen Orrin Hatch. R-Utah, but it represents the efforts of a broad base of abortion foes Liberals have promised to use every parlimentary device, including filibuster, to block the passage of this constitu tional amendment Although the fight seems heavily stacked against senate liberals — and the consensus of the American people A January poll conducted by the Associated Press and NBC News showed that three of four Americans were opposed to a constitutional ban on abortion In the nationwide telephone poll adults were asked. “Do you favor or oppose an amendment to the Constitution which would give Congress the authority to prohibit abortions?" Seventy-five percent of the respondents were opposed to a constitutional amendment granting Congress this au thority Nineteen percent said they favored it: while six percent were not sure Fifty-seven percent of those polled agreed with the statement: "Every woman who wants to have an abortion should be able to have one.” Seventy-seven percent agreed with the statement: "The decision to have an abortion should be left to the woman and her physician. ” Granted, polls aren’t conclusive — though, they do illustrate trends In this case there appears to be strong opposition to a constitutional ban on abortions There is also a definite condoning of a woman’s choice regarding preg nancy Now comes the Hatch bill — and another, alternative bill, proposed by arch-conservative Jesse Helms R-North Car olina And at the top is Pres Ronald Reagan who. in recent statements, supported the proposal for a constitutinal ban on abortions Reagan, in a message to an anti-abortion rally in Washington, said: “Government has the responsibility to opt on the side of life for the unborn ' He also called for “greater protection for the most defenseless and innocent among us — the unborn child " Reagan made these statements the same week he ordered devastating cuts to the Medicaid and human resources budget There is something inherently criminal in the conserva tives efforts to legislate a woman's conscience and womb The conservatives actions — and those of the neo-Christian right — abandon all respect for and attempt to uphold the Bill of Rights Will a woman's choice be legislated into extinction? The Emerald has recently been suffering internal conflicts regarding the perimeters of opinion and the han dling of sensitive issues The apparent resolution is that “personal'' opinions are permitted only in reviews and columns However, editorial opinions are subject to a whole different criterion At least that's how the debacle was unraveled by the Emerald's editor The upshot is that as the editorial page editor I cannot write an Emerald editorial on abortion Although, after a couple of squelched efforts. I discovered I was allowed to address the issue in a personal column What doesn't sit well with me is the reactionary tenden cies of people like Hatch and Helms The conservatives and neo-christian right were screaming about too much federal government before Reagan took office. Now these rightist groups are clamoring up each other's backs to legislate at the federal level laws promoting their inflexible moral view Lastly, is a constitutional amendment the proper place to resolve the abortion issue? I don’t think so The Supreme Court made a reasonable decision nine years ago SiHOROCTROExFOKlS his REvOumON, AND S£NOR R£A6AK| EXPORTS HIS KOMOfAiC THEORIES,,. WHY «S EVERYBCCK INTENT On DESTRCMNG uS ?' Squirrels Squirrels again! Lei's be realistic The squirrels don’t have to be our enemies Not it we love them Not if we sit down with them, chant with them, commune with them Squirrels only attack people who put out bad vibes Get in tune wrth your inner self, get in tune with the squirrels It's just like every other problem in the world today — pollution, war, inequality, re pression the bomb — it will all go away if we just learn to pas sively sit and stare at our navels and stop thinking Squirrel ar rogance can be stopped only by our metaphysical efforts Nothing so frighteningly real can be dealt with by real-world action Linda Jencson Anthropology Still mad Poor Matt Meyer You've ta ken a pounding from the review of Making Love , haven't you I bet you wish everyone would just drop it. huh Sorry — I haven't had my say yet Maybe I'm just making a fool out of myself talking to a brick wall but it s been what7 — 3 maybe 4 weeks since you wrote your little piece and I still get mad when I remember your ignorance and prejudice Number one. you stated Homosexuality is more than a social issue it s a moral issue Whose morals — yours? What gives you the right to say a per son's sexual orientation has an ything to do with morality7 You make me laugh Let me ask you this — where does it stop7 Are you going to also frown upon sex before marriage, hetero sexual one-night-stands, anal intercourse oral intercourse, and sex with or between those still under eighteen7 Why don't you just force your standards on everybody else and we'll elect you Secretary of Moral Standards You said society's morals are crumbled because of one man's opinion of life What about all the heterosexual couples who have "one-night-stands "? Homosexuals don't own tfte market Approximately 98 5 percent of child molestation is by heterosexual men How many women have you been with in your life7 Are you so pure? I saw the movie and it was refreshing to see gay people as doctors, lawyers, and as the well-adjusted people they are So keep your morals to yourself Ann Marie Piazza Psychology major IFC charge Rick Poulin and Lori Lieber man charge in a recent Emerald letter that the IFC recklessly crippled the Forensics program cutting its budget from $8,177 to 5,344 Neither their rhetoric nor arguments support that charge Oregon law mandates that in cidental fees be used for the physical and cultural develop ment of students But the Fo rensics program partakes heart ily of academic fare Forensics' participants typically receive academic credit — credit no doubt well deserved — but on this activity incidental fees should not unreservedly be spent Cuts in Forensics’ budget were the result of IFC resolu tions. on record, adopted before budget hearings began The committee s judgment, that incidental fees should not pay for student meals, lodging, or travel outside states bordering Oregon, have been consistently applied to all programs Foren sics has no special claim to sympathy " Poulin and Lieberman imply that a “predisposition" to cut Forensics' budget denied the group due process They mis understand legislative process The IFC does not negotiate program budgets not to weigh the merits of programs with judicial precision It makes hard choices of policy and priority Before it makes those choices programs have the right to be heard Forensics presented its arguments It was heard it did not prevail The IFC harbors no animosity towards the Forensics program Its successes are commenda ble Steve C. Baldwin IFC member. Law letters policy The Emerald will accept and attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on issues, ideas and topics of interest to the University community The letters must be limited to 250 words, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in to The Emerald offices. EMU 300 The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, style, or content Publication is dependent upon space available Th9 Qftyofi Dwtt) C/ntfiW is j~ irf~ "i/isC monomy tntXhjgr rrromj VJTCVpf OUrrnff final* —'<■* antf racaOont ftf 0» Oragon Daily EmaraU Put>h thing Co. $$6-5511 Buttnats $$6-3712 6*6-4142 Editor Sally Hodgkinsor, Managing Editor Gabriel Boehmer News Editor Harry Esleire Autstani Mom* Editor John Mealy Photo Elinor Bob Baker Graphic* Editor Mart Defhing* Editorial Pag* Editor Con FernaKJ Sports Editor Store Spati At*octet* Sport* Editor Jett Dickerson en <i, ■ I n n< C*l#rtfi r Cw»*0' Man Meyer Night Editor John Heety AuocM Edttoft ASUO Dane Oaussen Community Marian Green Deportments end Settoota Debbie Howlett Feature* Caroline Paunch Higher education Ann Portal Poetic* / environment Ron Hunt Gwwra/ Staff AdrerVitng Unde Darien* Gore /* i - , - mi , ,« a i-<i I. iftiimi Mffwwfvm/ny S »Hy Ot/er Ann Pmt»rson ConkoH* Jetn Owntiay
