NEWS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 3 " ON CAMPUS Harvard lecturer to speak about fertility treatments Susan Kahn, associate director at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University will be speak- ing today on high-tech fertility treat- ments in Jewish life in her lecture titled, "Constructing Jewish Life in the Age of Reproductive Technologies." The event will take place in the Mich- igan Room of the Michigan Union from 4 to 6 p.m. The free event is sponsored by the Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies. Surviving police * abuse subject of film screening A free film screening of "BUSTED: The Citizen's guide to Surviving Police Encounters," will be held tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. in the McGregor Commons of the School of Social Work. The film aims to help educate people on their rights during a police encoun- ter. After the film, there will a be panel composed of two attorneys and a retired police officer to answer questions. Ceremony held to honor victims of the Holocaust A 24-hour ceremony to honor Holo- caust victims will start at noon today in * the Diag. The annual vigil, hosted by the Conference on the Holocaust, will give various student groups and indi- vidual students the opportunity to read the names of those who perished during the Holocaust. For more information contact (513) 673-5210. CRIME NOTES University vehicle for children's center stolen A caller reported to the Department of Public Safety Monday that a Uni- versity vehicle assigned to the Pound House Children's Center was missing. The vehicle was last used on March 10 * when it was parked in the carport on Hill Street. On March 11, the vehicle was missing from the carport. Vacuum cleaner sets off fire alarm in League An electrical plug blew in the Michi- gan League at about 2 a.m. yesterday after a vacuum was plugged in, setting off the fire alarm, DPS reported. The fire department and an electrical shop * responded to the incident but found no problem. There was minor smoke dam- age to the wall above the outlet. Unattended items stolen in CCRB A subject reported to DPS that an M- card, cell phone, keys and some cloth- ing were stolen from the main gym in the Central Campus Recreation Build- ing while left unattended Monday night. There are currently no suspects. THIs DAY In Daily History New director named for Student Legal Services March 16, 1983 - Detroit attorney Margaret Nichols has assumed director- ship of Student Legal Services, ending a year-long search for a new administrator to lead a reorganization of the program. The Legal Services Board of Direc- tors decided last April that the pro- gram was not running efficiently and a new director was needed to handle the administrative work burdening the expanding program, board member David Chars sa 'id. Attorney: Reproductive rights still an issue By Amber Colvin Daily Staff Reporter Attorney Sarah Weddington, who argued to legalize abortion more than 30 years ago in Roe*v. Wade, said yesterday she is still concerned about the future of women's repro- ductive rights. "I worry about it every day," she said. "I thought we had won." Weddington was Norma McCor- vey's, or "Jane Roe's," attorney in the U.S. Supreme Court case that estab- lished a woman's right to an abortion under the 14th Amendment's protec- tion of privacy. Weddington said, however, that with today's conservative government, reproductive rights are not secure. "Never have pro-choice votes had fewer friends," Weddington said. "We don't have the president, we don't have the administration (on our side)." Drawing on her experience as a leader in the fight for women's rights, Weddington listed ways that women can contribute to the cause. She encouraged the audience to be willing to change directions in life, to prac- tice leadership and to constantly learn from others. "I hope students will use this time to develop their own leadership poten- tial," Weddington said. "Reproductive rights are really under attack, and we need to help." Weddington traced her path from studying law and facing employment discrimination to arguing one of the most famous Supreme Court cases and writing a book on her experience defending abortion. Underlying her speech was a con- stant concern for the future of repro- ductive rights. "I'm hearing these refrains from the past that make me worry about Roe v. Wade," she said. To illustrate the battle still faced by proponents of abortion, Weddington shared in her speech the recent story of a Texas pharmacist who refused to fill a married woman's prescription for birth control. "It's interesting how the things (Weddington) witnessed 30 years ago are still happening, School of Public Health student Malinowski said. Weddington also served as former President Carter's special assistant on women's issues and as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Weddington's lecture, titled "Some Leaders are Born Women," was filled with anecdotes from her experiences in the classroom, the courtroom and the White House. Her speech was the 2005 Elizabeth Charlotte Mul- lin Welch Lecture, presented each year since 1989 by the University's Center for the Education of Women in memory of Mullin Welch -a 1939 University alum, successful business woman and advocate of women's rights. Sarah Ely, a CEW senior counselor, agreed with Weddington that the fight for reproductive rights is not over. "We're very honored to have (Wed- dington) here, especially with her mes- sage that the issues are not settled. We have a student body here that needs to carry on her work," Ely said. Weddington has also served as a muse for those defending similar causes today. "I just think it's so inspiring for us who are young and working on women's rights to listen to those who worked before us. We can learn a lot," School of Social Work student Lily Davidson said. However, Krysta Bartnick, Business School senior and president of Stu- dents for Life, said much has changed since Roe v. Wade and that the gov- ernment should respond accordingly. "We now have a lot more evidence on the aftereffects of abortion," Bart- nick said. "So much has changed over the past 30 years. The law needs to catch up with science." Bartnick also noted that McCorvey has gone on record saying that she no longer supports legal abortion. "That says a lot for the cause," Bart- nick said. SHUBRA OHRI/Daily Roe v. Wade attorney Sarah Weddington speaks at Rackham Auditorium yesterday as part of the Elizabeth Charlotte Mullin Welch Lecture. DIVESTMENT Continued from page ± language in the proposal that condemned the state of Israel and pointed to human rights abuses and violations of international law. After hearing these concerns from Mironov and other members of MSA, MSA Representative Matt Hollerbach and other authors of the resolution made a motion to strike every clause but the last three from the resolution, in hopes to find more support for the formation of a committee. This move eliminated direct condemnation of Israel and called for an "advisory committee consisting of members of the University Senate, students, administration and alumni." Students Allied for Freedom and Equality President Carmel Salhi emphasized that the resolution called for the formation of a committee to investigate University investments. "There are investments that many students on this cam- pus find morally and ethically questionable," Salhi said. RC junior Ashwini Hardikar said that the resolution was not intended to University to immediately divest from Israel, but called for an investigation into potential human rights violations. "It's not an issue of whether or not you're pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. It's a question of whether or not human rights violations have been committed," Hardikar said. Other proponents of the resolution echoed these sen- timents. "This resolution is about academic freedom, and the right to know whether the businesses that the University invests in realize international human rights principles and business ethics," said Nadine Naber, professor of American Culture and Women's Studies. But Mironov said that the language of the resolution proposed a verdict before the trial. "If it were simply a resolution to create a committee, it wouldn't have 14 clauses condemning the state of Israel," Mironov said prior to the elimination of 12 clauses. Opponents of the resolution also complained that it unfairly singled out Israel for condemnation. While the audience seemed evenly split between both sides, opponents of the resolution were noticeably not sport- ing their "Stand with Israel" T-shirts, which have generated some controversy. In addition, supporters of the resolution asked Blaine Coleman, a sharp critic of the state of Israel, not to attend the meeting out of a fear that his strong opin- ions could damage their chances of success. The result of the vote invoked even more emotion from both supporters and opponents of the resolution. "You can't silence this issue any more. We know that this occupation is immoral and unethical, and we won't be silenced any longer," said LSA freshman and member of Amnesty International Nafisah Ula. Vice-chair and co founder of the Israeli Students Organization Ziv Ragowski said he hoped the debates would open up talk between Palestinians and Israelis. "People are recognizing the (desire) of both nations to move towards peace and to end the bloodshed," Ragowski said. Think you know it all? r The Campus Information Centers are hiring! Applications are available online or at one of our two locations-in the Michigan Union or Pierpont Commons. Applications are due by Friday, March 18! www.umich.edu/info/ 764-INFO m mmm III= v July L7