Responsibility to fetus discussed
By Mary Courtis
Of tk» ImnM
If a woman chooses to abort, what are her
responsibilities to the fetus? Can society force
a woman to act in certain ways to benefit the
fetus?
These questions and others were asked by
participants Wednesday in a brown bag
discussion in the basement of the law school.
The stimulus for the group's interest and
concern is the case of 27-year-old Pamela Rae
Stewart of El Cajon. Calif. Stewart was ar
rested. charged and jailed for "fotal abuse'' as
a result of not following her doctor’s orders.
Stewart allegedly used amphetamines during
her pregnancy and also failed to go directly to
the hospital when she began to hemorrhage.
Her baby was born with massive brain damage
and died six weeks later.
This landmark case opens up a whole Pan
dora's box of possibilities.
If doctors’ orders become quasi-law. then
any woman could be prosecuted for not
following her doctor’s advice, said some
members of the discussion group.
What happens when doctors disagree or a
woman refuses surgery or hospitalization? Is it
legitimate to putjjje fetus's rights above hers?
Others wondered how the Stewart case
might affect womens’ abortion rights. If
women can be prosecuted and put into jail for
fetal abuse, at what point does it become
criminally negligent to harm the fetus? The
group also expressed concern for women with
unplanned pregnancies who may drink, take
drugs or take damaging medication prescribed
by their doctor before they realize they are
pregnant.
“By the time they know they are pregnant,
it’s too late,” Margo Lynn-Hablutzel, a legal
research and writing instructor said. “The
damage has already been done."
Other participants felt that it was
hypocritical to spend so much time and energy
debating fetal abuse when one in five children
live in conditions of poverty and neglect.
Some people also worried that the Stewart case
might make pregnancy and motherhood a
sentence and an ordeal rather than a joy and a
pleasure.
Fears also were expressed that women may
withold important information from their doc
tors if they are afraid of being prosecuted,
which could potentially lead to more problems
and deaths than under the present system.
Other participants believed the use of many
substances that also have damaging effects,
such as sugar, diet sodas and caffeine, could
result in a vulnerability to prosecution.
“We can't just talk about illegal drugs." Col*
een Miller of the Woman's Law Forum said.
"Coffee can be damaging."
Other participants argued that many infants
have no chance in life because of the mother's
behavior before birth. Once the choice has
been made to carry the pregnancy to term, then
parents must be motivated to give the fetus
adequate care. Holding the mother in some
way accountable for the fetus' welfare might
accomplish this.
Statistics show that as many as 0.000 infants
are born in the United States with fetal alcohol
syndrome, and an additional 3.000 infants
show less severe effects attributed to their
mother’s consumption of alcohol during the
pregnancy. Would expectant mothers weigh
their actions with more responsibility and
awareness if accountability was an established
practice?
Some participants said no. and they doubted
that legal deterrents were legitimate ways to
motivate people. They believe better education
and increased access to prenatal care were
more reasonable solutions. Advocates also
stressed that the law discriminates against
low-income women and drug users, many of
whom may be addicts.
"I think we'd see few cases of middle-class
women being prosecuted." said Bonnie, a
first-year-law student.
All members of the discussion group did
agree, however, that putting women in jail was
not an adequate answer to the problem.
Fathers are not imprisoned for failing to pay
child support, they reasoned. Why should
mothers be forced to face this penalty?
Clearly, the Stewart case has far-reaching
social, moral and legal implications. Should
parental decisions and responsibilities become
mandated by law? Or should we oppose legal
sanctions in favor of remaining flexible to ii>
dividual situations?
These are hard questions. As Ellen Good
man. a syndicated columnist in Boston
observes in the Oct. 7 issue of the l.os Angeles
Times: "It's one thing to argue that a woman
has a moral obligation, it's quite another thing
to turn it into a legal obligation. This is where
the slope gets slippery."
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MEETINGS
Condon Geological Society
meets at 4:30 Thursday, Oc
tober 30th, In Room 47A
Geology.
There will be a PRSSA Chapter
meeting Thursday, October
30th, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 221
Allen Hall.
The National Student Exchange
Program will hold an ex
ploratory meeting Thursday.
Oct. 30. at 4 p.m. In Room 111
EMI I.
College Republicans will have a
work session meeting today at 4
p.m. in Room 108 EMU. For
mom details, call Doug Foun
tain at 342-7346.
WORKSHOPS AND
SEMINARS
Ever wonder what employers
ask at interviews? Come find
out at an Interview Workshop.
Thursday. Oct. 30, from 1:30 in
Room 12 Hendricks Hall. Of
fered by CPPS.
“In Search of Excellent:*"
Fourth Leadership Workshop
will be Thursday, Oct. 30, from
4-6 p.m. in Room 110 EMU.
Contact SARO for further
information
"What to do with Cash—A
Comprehensive Survey of
Alternatives" A free seminar
will be held on Thursday. Nov.
f>. at the Eugene Downtown
Athletic Club. 3rd floor, at 3
p.m and again at 7 p.m.The
seminar is hosted by Dean Wit
ter Reynolds, Inc. Seating for
the seminar is limited To
reserve a place, cal I 083-3737.
MISCELLANEOUS
Attention Secondary Students:
If you are planning to apply for
admission to the Secondary
Education Program (Block I or
Block ll)winter term, your ap
plication is due in 173 Educa
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Education
Review c<wtimwH* fr°m Page 11
imagery and the atmosphere
created by Lynch give the films
a dreamlike quality (though
nightmarish might better
describe Lynch's vision).
"Blue Velvet" is dominated
by this sense of uneasiness. The
o|>ening cross-cuts between the
father watering the lawn and
water building up in the hose.
At first he seems to be setting up
a standard gag. but with the ex
treme close-ups of a beetle scur
rying along the lawn and the
screeching music, any clear-cut
meaning is i m p o s s i b I e.
Something is wrong, dreadfully
wrong, but he's not telling.
Similar touches turn ordinary
scenes eerie — exaggerated
camera angles, unexpected
musical cues, disturbing sound
effects and continual cutaways
to just plain weird images throw
the film into the realm of the
supernatural.
It's this weirdness that finally
makes “Blue Velvet" so
fascinating Images from Nor
man Rockwell bang head to
head with images from the
mind of Lynch, such as an ex
treme close-up of the severer!
ear.
Dennis Hooper's manic per
formance is the opposite of the
subdued styles of Mad^chlan
and Dern. The activities of the
night let loose the desires
repressed by flay.
Because so much is only sug
gested, it is difficult to make
any firm specific conclusions
about the work. While images
tie certain scenes and events
together, it is difficult to
understand exactly what the
point is sometimes, and
sometimes the style seems to
overwhelm the narrative. But
with Lynch the style is, more
often than not. the point of the
film.
"Blue Velvet” is a film that
will remain largely unwatched
by America. Most people like
their stories simple, clear-cut
and airy. Though flawed. "Blue
Velvet" will appeal to the few
who like their stories a little
more adventuresome — and a
lot more disturbing
Better catch it fast because it
won’t Im; playing for long.
"Blue Velvet" plays tonight at
Cinema World.
SEND A RESIDENT
OF OUR DISTRICT
TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE
WHO SUPPORTS A
TUITION FREEZE
VOTE
DAVID
Dix
for State Representative
District 41 Democrat
Paid For By David Du For Stale Representative
P 0 Bon 11022. Eugene. Or
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