1 w vi '4,, Vr w -9 PrpmdBallot proposals Proposed- abortion ban: a firestorm of controversy POLLACK Continued from Page 8 Rights Restoration Act of 1988 but then voted to uphold President Reagan's veto of it. Pollack, a state senator representing all of Washtenaw County since 1982, has made edu- cation and the environment her top priorities. Education, she believes, should start "from day one" - meaning pre-natal care. She sees the A Better Child Care plan, which would allo- cate $2.5 billion in federal funds for child care "as a start" and would like to see more. Local government, Pollack says, should be responsible for elementary education, but she also sees a role for the federal gov- ernment in higher education, espe- cially in financial aid. Pollack has called environmental concerns her strongest issue, saying the most important legislation she has personally worked on has been a package of six bills, not yet passed, that would punish polluters, criminally and financially, for fail- ing to clean up. She has blasted Pursell for lead- ing the fight against adding $6 bil- lion to the Clean Water Act in 1985 and has often made reference to his inclusion among "the dirty dozen," a list of 12 legislators with the worst environmental records. That list was put out by the lobby- ing group, Environmental Action. By Victoria Bauer and Lisa Winer Of all the Michigan ballot pro- posals this election, none has re- ceived more attention and spurred more controversy than Proposal A, which, if passed, will discontinue medicaid-funded abortions in the state. Proposal A, unlike the other proposals on the ballot this November, has divided the state into two emotionally charged 'The proposal is a back door effort to erode abortion rights for all women.' - Deborah Ness, a spokesperson for the National Abortion Rights Action League camps battling over an issue in which morals and economics have come to a head. The crux of the proposal focuses on the poor women of Michigan who cannot afford to pay for abor- tions. Michigan Right to Life, the ini- tiator of the proposal, argues that state-funded abortions hurt poor women because they are frequently used as a birth control method which is dangerous for the women involved and expensive for the tax- payers. For the last 11 years, Michigan has funded abortions at a cost of $6 million a year. But pro-choice groups, like Peo- ple's Campaign for Choice (PCC), counter Right to Life by arguing that the proposal discriminates against poor women because it de- nies them the right to have an abortion, a service they feel should be entitled to all women. PCC also argues that if the pro- posal passes, taxpayer's will have to pay more money to support mothers and their babies, who will more than likely need welfare to get by, than it costs to fund the abor- tions. Although the proposal allows abortions for women whose lives are endangered, it does not allow abortions for women who are vic- tims of rape or incest. Jay Sappington, a spokesperson for the Committee to End Tax Funded Abortions (CETFA), said that rape rarely results in pregnancy and that if it does, "it doesn't make sense to abort the innocent victim (the fetus). It makes sense to go af- BIRKETT Continued from Page 8 He added that he felt the increase in tuition rates reflects the administration's misplaced priorities. Birkett also opposes the deputization of campus safety offi- cers and blames the state legislature for not preventing it or any other violations of student's constitu- tional rights. However, Birkett maintains that unless the Univer- sity is violating student's First Amendment rights, the state legis- lature should respect the Univer- sity's autonomy. One issue the candidate seems less than conservative on is drugs. Birkett was identified in a High Times magazine article this past July as an activist for National Or- ganization for the Repeal of Mari- juana Laws (NORML). According to the article, Birkett was detained for two weeks, including the day of the Bash, due to his misdemeanor conviction on marijuana possession and driving while impaired. Birkett, when asked last week about the ar- ticle, identified himself as the same Birkett and did not challenge the facts in the article. Richard Birkett has an uphill battle on his hands Tuesday to de- throne Perry Bullard, the eight-term incumbent. Bullard has been chal- lenged by civil libertarians before, along with many others, and has never been truly threatened in his re-election bids. I Pro-life persistence to ban state-funded abortions prompted the push for Prop A. ter the criminal." According to Joel Weinshank, a PCC spokesperson, "(CETFA) is out of touch with many of the problems facing poor women." He said PCC is also concerned that if the proposal passes, it could be a first step to prohibit abortion for all women. "The proposal is a back door ef- fort to erode abortion rights for all women," said Deborah Ness, a spokesperson for the National 5, a Abortion Rights Action League in Washington D.C. But CETFA denies that it plans to do more than end state-funded abortion in Michigan, CETFA Chair Barbara Listing said. Proposal A has reached the ballot this November, but it has a long, torrid history behind it. Nine years ago, the first bill to ban state-funded abortions was in- troduced and passed by a majority of the members of the state legisla- ture. But former governor William Millikin vetoed it. The legislature has persisted over the years, and since 1978 both Milliken and Governor James Blanchard have vetoed 17 attempts to end medicaid-funded abortions. And the legislature has never been able to capture the two-thirds vote from the state House and Senate needed to override the Governors' vetos. See PROP A, Page 6 I ENSIAN ALL-CAMPUS YEARBOOK EST1897 Props C, D would clean-up toxic waste of 7 sites, state By Elizabeth Robboy Do you care about the future of Michigan's 1,778 toxic waste sites, its parks, and its water supply? If you answered 'yes' to that question, you might be interested in Proposals C and D, two non-con- troversial environmental bonds that will appear on Michigan's ballot. Proposal C asks for the approval of a $660 million bond which would allocate money toward the following: "$425 million toward cleaning up toxic waste '$150 million toward reducing solid waste and encouraging recy- cling -$60 million toward purifying the water supply "$25 million toward the Great Lakes Protection fund Proposal D asks for the approval of a $140 million bond which would allocate money toward the following: parks -$70 million toward preserving state park~s -$70 million toward preserving local parks Proposals C and D were set forth by Governor James Blanchard in January in response to the envi- ronmental crises that Michigan is currently facing. Michigan has the third highest number (1,778) of toxic waste sites in the nation. It is estimated that in 10 to 15 years these environmental bond programs, if approved by the vot- ers, could cleanup over half of Michigan's toxic waste sites. Proposals C and D are non-con-, troversial because they cost the voters nothing and companies are afraid to oppose them, said Andy Bushsbaum, program director and lobbyist for the Public Interest Re- search Group of Michigan. Because they are way down on the ballot, however, most voters won't bother with them, Bushs- baum said. I %$000 ,off 400 "' COv v9\C1 i Same Day$ Contacts Includes standard daily-wear lenses, examination, complete instructions and follow-up care.................... Glasses 9 Includes oversizeplastic lenses or strong prescnptions (up to 6 diopters). OPTOMETRY eye care centers Prior orders. group plans and other discounts not included. Initial pairtof single vision lenses onlv. Choose from a select group of frames. Offer mac end without notice. Arborland 973-7035 Dr. DeRubeis, Optometrist 3659 Washtenaw In The Arborland Shopping Center I A pinboard in PIRGIM 's Union office depicts the toxic waste burden the state bears. i _____ _____ _____ ____ PAGE 4 WEEKEND/NOVEMBER 4, 1988 r 4 WE;EI ENQ/NOVEMBER; 4. 1988