Editorial
Measure moralizes
at women’s expense
Ballot Measure 6 would ammend the Oregon Constitu
tion to prohibit state financial medical assistance for abor
tions. This measure takes the entire abortion debate and ap
plies it to low-income women, but this is not the only reason
Measure 6 should be defeated.
The measure is a radical one. allowing state funding of
abortions only in cases where a woman's life is jeopardized.
This raises the sticky legal questions of how close to death a
woman must be to merit state funding of her abortion and
who decides the woman's life is threatened.
Current public assistance requires that a doctor certify
that the abortion is necessary because pregnancy would en
danger the life or physical or emotional health of the
woman.
Measure 6 would not allow for abortions in the cases of
rape' and incest, or if the pregnancy might harm the
woman's health, such as causing kidney damage or
blindness.
Twelve state-funded abortions in the 1985-86 fiscal year
helped confirmed rape victims; the total number of abor
tions provided to victims of rape or incest is unknown,
although some recipients were 12 years old or younger — an
indication of child abuse.
Supporters of the measure fear that accessible state
funds encourage women to have abortions, and will result in
an increasing abortion rate. However, the percentage of
pregnant women seeking abortions is approximately the
same for women receiving state aid and for those not seeking
state aid.
Moreover, the number of state-funded abortions declin
ed in the past year, and is expected to level off soon.
The families using state funding for abortions have
monthly incomes between approximately 50 and 85 percent
of the national poverty level. They are required to exhaust
all other sources of help before receiving aid.
Thus, the people that Measure 6 would affect are exactly
those who cannot afford to be the objects of this moral
debate.
Twenty percent of women denied slate funding for abor
tions are forced to carry their pregnancies to term — unable
to afford an abortion, they must afford to support a child or
else put a child they carried for nine months up for adop
tion. This pregnancy not only has a emotional strain on the
mother but increases her health risks.
Some women, faced with this choice, will resort to self
induced abortions.
Oregon maintained its commitment to provide assitance
to lower-income women even after the federal government
in 1977 prohibited the use of Medicaid funds for abortions
except in very limited circumstances.
Funding abortions is only one aspect of state medical
assistance, and provides about 10 percent of abortions in
Oregon.
This commitment has been a service to Oregonians, and
has helped many women who could not otherwise afford
abortions. Children must be brought into the best environ
ment possible, and all women need to be able to make the
determination of whether to bring a pregnancy to term,
though they know there is a heavy emotional toll to
abortion.
The ongoing debate about the moral, social and even
economic impact of abortion cannot be resolved except by
individuals; the woman herself must make the decision.
Measure 6 would limit low-income women’s freedom to
make this decision by tying it to their ability to pay and must
therefore be opposed.
Second round of debate
should be on Long’s turf
The first of two debates between Peter DeFazio and
Bruce Long was held last Friday and another is scheduled
for next Monday. The two square off to demonstrate their
qualifications for the fourth district congressional seat in
Washington. D.C.
The debate was heated, but DeFazio had a dear advan
tage since the debate was held in Harris Hall, where DeFazio
sits as a county commissioner. If possible, the two should
meet next Monday in a place of Long’s choosing.
The Emerald has already endorsed DeFazio for this race,
but that doesn’t mean the campaign is over. The spirited
debate of these candidates provides for one of the more in
teresting races this fall.
Voters have seen DeFazio at his best and should have
the opportunity to see Long at his best.
Letters
Ill-advised
The ODE Oct. 13 headline ar
ticle concerning former pro
fessor Stephen Reynolds was
extremely ill-advised and in
poor taste. This man has already
been found guilty through due
process of serious sex crimes; I
hardly think it behooves the
Emerald to further defame him
with past allegations, many of
them uncorroborated.
In particular I take exception
to the inclusion of the quota
tion. "There was this weird sex
ual energy coming from him."
This is supposed to be a "sexual
abuse" allegation? Will you
next be charging a man with
rape because someone he never
touched thought that he was
"real creepy"?
Let Reynolds be punished for
his crimes, not for rumors or
"psychic" impressions.
Hiawatha
Graduate. Music
Arms control
In response to Dan Goulet's
letter on SDI (ODE Oct. 16).
several faulty assumptions form
the foundation of his SDI
defense. First of all. SDI is not
"non-nuclear,” as the ad
ministration admits that certain
aspects of the program require a
nuclear capability.
More importantly, though, is
Goulet's narrow view of SDI as
being only defensive. The first
problem with this argument is
that it ignores the distinct
possibility that technology that
we acquire for this purpose —
high-energy laser beams —
could also be used for other
means aside from SDI. A laser
beam that can destroy missiles
can certainly also destroy
satellites, which are. ironically,
crucial to both countries'
defense right now. Add the fact
that the Christian Science
Monitor reports a low-profile
group within the defense
department feverishly working
on weapons that can evade SDI:
low projectile missiles, decoys,
etc. This could absurdly be call
ed ‘‘offensive insurance against
defensive insurance that isn’t
covered."
Finally, even if we take SDI
for its stated purpose, if it
makes one country invulnerable
to attack for a time, this pro
motes a first-strike since one na
tion's missiles would work
while the other's wouldn't. Of
course, Mr. Goulet probably
wouldn't object to this as long
as we're in the former position.
Thus, if the Russians aren’t
“serious about arms control,”
which I tend to agree with more
than not, Mr. Goulet has unwit
tingly joined them.
Scott E. Baldwin
Political science
Correction
Delia Fisher, author of
'Disturbing' (ODE, Oct.
20). was incorrectly iden
tified as being an instruc
tor in San Diego; she is an
instructor at the Universi
ty. The author of another
letter that did not run is
from San Diego.
We apologize for any
inconvenience we may
have caused.
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