Page 4-Tuesday, July 17, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily
Eighty-nine Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor. Ml. 48109
Vol. LXXXIX, No. 45-S News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students
at the University of Michigan
Anti-abortionists strive to rob
women of reproductive freedom
They call themselves Right-to-
Lifers and they are pro-life from
the moment of conception on.
Among their ranks are
organizations such as the
National Right to Life Committee
i' Ansa.01,#Un s..onser',aue
.w p
C
Gov
stor
Tt
requ
licer
dum
mat
Ar
this
viol
smal
dfill
last
old
deli-
legi
bar
citiz
TI
com
if th
arez
pan
TI
prai
are
hav
resi
the
TI
is c
legi
thou
entr
Co.'s
had
m
othe
sucr
coul
will
ena
pen
(NRL), the onserv
Caucus, the Ku Klux Kla
John Birch Society, the
munist Party, the America
Party, opponents of gun co
the Panama Canal Treaty
the Equal Rights amend:
They are supported and
funded by the Roman Ca
Hierarchy and the Mo
ICHIGAN IS again proving it can benefit Church.
from the PBB debacle. A bill now awaiting
Milliken's signature makes shipping and In a nutshell, the pro-life
age of toxic wastes more difficult to abuse. anti-abortion. Their numbe
he legislation includes measures which influence have grown sfl
re waste haulers and disposal firms to be 1973 Supreme Court ruling
said each state may not pre
used, and mandates that detailed records of woman from having an ab
ip contents be maintained to track hazardous during the first six mon
erials. pregnancy. In 1973 aborti
nn Arbor should pay particular attention to leagalized in the United Sta
bill, since it was shocked to discover two this ruling and the prolifer
enraged
ations in this area in the last year. Relatively
l amounts of PBB were traced to the local lan- FUNDED BY religious m
last fall, to city officials' dismay. And just the pro-lifers campaign,
month, a firm contracted by the city to haul luncheons, and polish
sludge to Ohio farmlands, was discovered propaganda style rhetoric.
vering the loads in a Michigan township. This show pictures of aborted f
slation may save officials from future em- to unsuspecting audiences.
Y ~have bombed abortionc
rassment as well as reducing safety hazards to They tell black women that
ens. tion is a form of genocide
he bill would also create a nine-member state whites. They say genetic
mission with power to overrule local officials seling and birth defects re
hey oppose proposed waste dumps. Affected breeuin abort desirabea
a officials would have a minority vote on the society.
el.
his measure at first seems unfair, but sounds In the 1976 Hyde Amen
ctical when itsimpetus is considered. Firms the pro-lifers scored a maj
generating hazardous waste materials and tory against abortions.
e no place to ship them. Local officials and Supreme Court ruled that
.. . to each state to dete]
dents rarely are anxious to invite dumping or whether or not it wants to p
creation of such sites in their locale. Medicaid abortions. Most
he need for regulation of toxic waste disposal don't. This was a setback ft
lear and dire. It is fortunate that Michigan abortion legislation group
islators are responding to this need even call themselves pro-choice
choice demands that wome
lgh disasters such as the one caused by PBB's the right to their own rep:
ance to the food chain and Hooker Chemical tive freedom and choice
lethal negligence in disposing of its wastes their own bodies. But whil
to precede their action. once had power over the
lichigan's legislation will serve as a model to lifers, the pro-choicers are
tr states waiting for a leader in this area. Our ground.
cess may mean safety and good health for In New York State the
ntless others. It is hoped that public officials registration application ha
enforce this legislation scrupulously, once
cted. Surely no one can afford to experience or
mit further abusive toxic waste disposal. W
VAono1ltSTS.
SUMMER EDITORIAL STAFF
ELIZABETH SLOWIK
Editor-in-Chief
JUDY RAKOWSKY ......................... Editorial Director
JOSHUA PECK ...................................Arts Editor
A117ATER T'lir &P5).
MARKPARRENT Supplement MITCH CANTOR SVPPSS 561 5) 1(x! 1OE
Editors & W 6SAW6 P WW0
E es M~~~epMp Z965A1Vs)
BUSINESS STAFF
LIA CLBERSON ............... Business Manager
ARLEN s ARYAN ...... .................... ... Sales Manager
RrEWARRFN.. .. . I, Wi, Pa Manager
BETH BASSLER...........................Classified Manager
STA. lEltKIA...............N iiial a Adversinssg Manager
vative
n, the
Com-
n Nazi
ontrol,
, and
ment.
well-
tholic
rmon
rs are
rs and
ce the
which
vent a
ortion
iths of
n was
tea by
,were
onies,
hold
their
They
etuses
.They
linics.
abor-.
by the
coun-
search
way of
from
dment
or vic-
The
it is up
ermine
rovide
states
or pro-
s, who
. Pro-
n have
roduc-
over
e they
topro-
losing
ballot
d to be
By MARION HALBERG
amended to include the Right-to-
Life Party. The NRLC has more
than 11 million members in its
1800 chapters nationwide. Fifteen
states support a constitutional
amendment which would prohibit
abortion in the United States. The
pro-lifers pour money and sup-
"Statistics prove and
court cases demonstrate
the horrors of life when a
child is unwanted, un-
loved, unadoptable, and
abused."
port into political campaigns and
have had astounding results. But
what does this all mean?
AN ANTI-ABORTION amend-
ment to the constitution would
mean the imposition of religious
doctrine on the American people.
This violates the right to privacy
and the separation of church and
state.
The pro-lifers say they feel life
begins at fertilization and that
everything must be done to main-
tamn that life. But the pro-lifers
are essentially hypocrites
because they oppose abortion
even if it is necessary to save a
woman's life. Their all encom-
passing anti-abortion stance
makes no exceptions for the
woman who is raped, the woman
who cannot afford a child, the
menopausal woman, the pre-teen
and teen-age girl, the woman
whose child will be stillborn or
will die shortly after birth, or the
woman who just does not want a
child.
STATISTICS PROVE and court
cases demonstrate the horrors of
life when a child is unwanted,
unloved, unadoptable, and
abused. But pro-lifers don't seem
to care much about the quality of
life.
With all their monies and sup-
porters, why don't the pro-lifers
get to the crux of the problem
even before abortion becomes an
issue? Why don't they channel
money into sex education
programs and contraceptive in-
formation and distribution? No.
They refuse with more rhetoric
like 'it is against the church' and
'the woman who uses an IUD is a
murderer.'
The pro-lifers oppose con-
traception of all kinds, voluntary
sterilization, family planning,
birth defects research, am-
niocentisis, and organizations
like Planned Parenthood and the
March of Dimes.
The issue of abortion is without
doubt an emotionally charged
one. Women have been giving
themselves abortions since the
beginning of time. Modern
technology makes abortion not
only a feasible alternative to
pregnancy, but even safer than
carrying a child to term, in most
cases. Religiousyand moral
beliefs will always come into
play, but the pro-choice stand-a
woman's right to choose-must
be upheld.
No matter what the pro-lifers
achieve, abortions will not stop.
Rich women will go to Europe
and the poor will return to the
coat hanger. The next time you
see a pro-lifer, ask them if they
have any pictures of women who
have died while performing abor-
tions on themselves on their kit-
chen tables.
Marion Halberg covered women's
issuesfor the Daily.
Editorials which appear without a byline
represent a concensus opinion of the Daily's
editorial board. All other editorials, as well as
cartoons, are the opinions of the individuals
who submit them.
IlRO Al 6RA " J V SOC cVso3S~u
fl1ml6sX16X tA MCO. sOi. UIt 1 pta
t w 4)6 4)15