Page 4-Saturday, July 12, 1980-The Michigan Daily No reason to rejoice over Hyde Amendment a L X7 I mt mc Timing poor for a Detroit strike THIRTEEN YEARS ago this month, the city of Detroit hit rock bottom. After years of racial tension, unemployment, urban decay, and the degeneration of civic pride, the city erupted in a riotous display of frustration and desperation. For- ty-three people lay dead, damage was calculated in the hundreds of millions, and the spirit of the people and the reputation of the city was severely scarred. But since that time, the city has worked feverishly to rid itself of its reputation as a boar- ded-up, grimy, dangerous urban center. Neigh- borhood groups emerged to instill pride in city residents. Businesses, slowly but with increased enthusiasm, have shifted their location from the suburbs back into the city. And Mayor Young has lobbied vigorously for federal funds to help rebuild the city. A new spirit has embraced Detroit, one that displays itself in an enhanced estdem of the city in the eyes of residents and visitors. And now, after thirteen long, difficult years of rebuilding, the city finally has its big opportunity to show off, from the awesome reach and beauty of the Plaza Hotel to the Hart Plaza and the quaint trolleys. Thus, it is with great dismay that Michiganders, and visitors from the United States and abroad are audience to a highly unfortunate labor dispute pitting the municipal workers, who have watched the cost of living eat up their wages, and the city, which is financially strapped. The result is embarrassing to those proud Detroiters who have been enthusiastically waiting to show off their city when the eyes of the world will be on them. for a brief period next week: heaps of garbage pile higher, water from broken mains sits stagnant in the streets, and the walkout continues. We implore both sides to continue, with full con- viction, to make fair concessions and reach an agreement as early as possible. The city cannot af- ford to offer such an embarrassing and sad display in their front window, one that is neither indicative of the city-worker relationship nor fair to the proud' residents and employees of the Renaissance city.- Editorial policies j Unsigned editorials appearing on the left side of this page represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board. Letters and columns represent the opinions of the individual author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or beliefs of the Daily. Cartoons frequently appear on both the left and right side of the page; they do not necessarily present Daily opinions. _ On June 30, five Supreme Court Justices upheld the Hyde Amen- dment, ruling that the federal government does not have to pay the cost of abortions for women receiving Medicaid. Citizens are of many opinions about abortion and the wisdom of using tax dollars to pay for them. There is no reason for anyone to rejoice over this court's decision, however. Those deeply opposed to abor- tion on religious or moral groun- ds have worked fervently to stop federal funding for abortion in the hope that it would dramatically decrease the num- ber of abortions. In fact, a Prin- ceton study conducted by James Trussel found that restrictions on funding have not dramatically decreased the number of abor- tions provided to Medicaid women. Approximately 80 per cent of Medicaid women who could have received abortions prior to the Hyde Amendment were able to obtain abortions af- ter enactment of the restrictive legislation. Citizens wanting reductions in government spending cannot By Marjorie Crow rejoice at a so-called savings of $86 million Medicaid dollars following enactment of the Hyde Amendment. The medical costs for the birth of those denied ac- cess to abortions far exceed the "savings." On-going welfare costs incurred asa result of many of those births make the supposed saving of tax dollars even more erroneous. The fact that most welfare women seeking abortions did pay for them is also no cause for rejoicing. Their use of their meager resources, to avoid bearing a child they were unable to care and provide for was a significant hardship to them- selves and their children. While it is evidence of their determination and their resourcefulness, it is hardly acceptable social policy. Those sensitive to the needs of children and families cannot rejoice. Incidents of loss of life through suicide and to desperate women reduced to self-induced and illegal abortions are documented by the National Center for Disease Control. Though not common, such results of restric- ted access to abortion to one segment of our population is no cause for anyone to rejoice. The politics of this issue have extended beyond abortion-to the politics of all family planning services. The cruel hoax of our current public policy is that at the same time federal legislators have reduced Medicaid women's access to abortion, funding for contraceptive services to other low income women has been reduced administratively by the Department of Health and Human Services (formerly H.E.w.). To reduce women's ac- cess to both abortion and con- traception is an. intolerable situation-a situation for which we and future generations will pay high and unnecessary finan- cial and human costs. Marjorie Crow is executive director of Washtenaw County League for Planned Parenthood. 6 I I LETTERS TO THE DAILY: No coverage of artist Tothe Daily: On June 21 and 22, 1980, I had the pleasure of attending the un- veiling and dedication of the murals painted by Ann Arbor ar- tist, Jon Onye Lockard, for the African American Heritage Room in Manoogian Hall at Wayne State University. However, I was surprised and disappointed not to find any writ- ten or photographic coverage in the Michigan Daily. Although the event had been covered by Chan- nels 2 and 4, the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, and the Michigan Chronicle. I was surprised because, as a ten-year resident of Ann Arbor, and as a student at the University of Michigan, I am aware that it is a' practice of your publication to' cover cultural events which would be of interest toeyour readers, especially when a resident of Ann Arbor and a member of the University com- munity is involved. I might add that this was an event attended not only by Mayor Young of Detroit, but by Justice G. Mennen williams and his wife, Nancy, emissaries from Ghana and Nigeria, and notable artists}and educators from Ann Arbor, Detroit, and around the United States. I was disappointed for two reasons. The first reason is that the artist, a resident of Ann Arbor for eighteen years, a key figure in the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and an instructor at both the University of Michigan and Was ena -Community College, life carefully researching and painting this extraordinary historical testimony of African Americans only to be overlooked by his hometown newspaper. Secondly, had the public been properly informed, many of your readers could have shared in an artistically and educationally rewarding experience. However, all ought not be lost . . . the murals remain where they originally hung, waiting to be examined and pondered over by the members of your reading public, should they be made aware of their opinions as they deserve to be. And, please, give your outstanding residents the recognitionthey deserve! -Sarah Olson July 8 I 6 6 I nnaCe 5C9P sIE W OF SACTXe5't. 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