friday, January 23, 1976
daily nebraskan
page 9
By Dick Piersol
While members of the Nebraska Coalition for Life
demonstrated across the street from the statehouse, the
Nebraska Legislature Wednesday debated and approved
37-5 a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to conduct
hearings on a possible constitutional amendment protect
ing the rights of the unborn.
The vote came three years to the day after the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled voluntary abortions legal.
Aurora Sen. Maurice Kremer, sponsor of the resolu
tion, LR1 13, described the "pitiful lack of protection"
granted the unborn under current statutes. After moving
passage of the resolution, he quickly was supported by
Sens. Ron Cope of Kearney, James Dickenson of Millard,
Warren Swigart of Omaha and Harold Moylan of Omaha.
Omaha Sen. Ernest Chambers, who opposed the re
solution, said the senators should not be afraid to say
what they really think. When the abortion issue arose in
the past, he said, some senators told him privately that
they agreed with him in favoring abortion, but could not
do so publicly because of their constituency.
He accused those supporting the resolution of having
oru' standard for the rights of the unborn, and another for
others, specifically, unwanted children.
"No one condones murder," Chambers said, "But we're
talking about children in an intolerable world created by
adults. Are you concerned about that child only when its
in the womb?" v
Roses given to senators
Referring to roses placed at each senator's desk by the
Nebraska Coalition for Life, he added, "It might have
been a better idea to leave these beautiful flowers in their
natural state."
Lincoln Sen. Shirley Marsh also opposed the resolu
tion. She said she did not advocate abortions, but said
"you do not stop them by outlawing them." She said to
outlaw abortion would sent poor women back to unsafe
underground clinics.
Neligh S;n. John DeCamp supported the resolution.
"If abortion in fact takes a human life, then it is wrong
from the start, and two wrongs don't make a right," he
said.
Sen. Ralph Kelly of Grand Island also supported the re
solution, saying take this as a call for Congress to look in
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depth at the issue, and offer their best deliberative
solution."
Chambers spoke again saying, "I don't pretend to
know when a fetus becomes a human being; scientific
study has constantly changed the view of human life. No
body has even defined or proven the existence of a human
soul."
He asked resolution supporters why they thought
Congress should decide the issue by constitutional amend
ment and why they disagreed with the Supreme Court
decision.
"Abortions are a fact of life," he said. "What the Legis
lature should do is to study the issue as it exists; to see the
facilities and the care and treatment of people who have
abortions."
Such a study would not be an endorsement of abor
tion, he said.
DeCamp agreed with Chambers that no one knows
when human life begins. He said the legal premise should
be to assume life begins at conception unless proven
otherwise.
DeCamp later told about 80 Coalition for Life demon
strates on Centennial Mall that they were being hood
winked by Congressmen who say they support them.
"You aren't going to get results in Washington," he
said. DeCamp urged the demonstrators to continue their
efforts and "raise a hue and cry" until they are rewarded
with action.
DeCamp missed the resolution vote. He told Lt. Gov.
Gerald Whelan, presiding over the Legislature, that he was
taking a long-distance phone call, and would have voted
aye "on this issue that concerns me deeply."
Whelan told him to submit a "deeply worded" written
message to that effect to be included in the Legislative
journal.
The vota on LR113 was: For: Anderson, Barnatt, Bereuter.
Burbach, Carsten, Clark, Copa, Dickinson, Duis, Dworak, Fitz
gerald, George, Goodrich, Hasebroock, Johnson, Kally, Kennedy,
Kayas, Kime, Koch, Kermer, F. Lewis, R. Lewis, Mahoney,
Marvel, Moylan, Rasmusson, Rummery, Schmit, Skarda. Stoney,
Stull, Swigart, Syas, Warner, Wiitse.
Against: Chambers, Fowler, Marsh, Mills, Nichol
Not voting: Burrows, Cavanaugh, DeCamp, Leudtke, Murphy,
Savage, Simpson.
Panelists argue state's abortion law
in terms of medicine, intuition, Bible
Four panelists sponsored by Concerned Pro-Life Stu
dents debated the legality of abortion in terms of
Nebraska's law, the Bible, medical definitions and a
woman's institution Thursday night before about 30
persons in the Nebraska Union.
State Sen. Donald Dworak of Columbus said the Ne
braska law on abortion is full of questions on when an
abortion can be performed because it does not specify
when life starts.
Speaking on abortion according to God's laws, Rev. Al
fred Ernst of Lincoln's Trinity Lutheran Church said any
pregnancy stage is the beginning of life.
This attitude of a mother's not wanting her baby must
be combated, though, Mrs. Betty Evans, a Lincoln social
worker said. Evans, who said she has one child, said Pro
Life also should be concerned with this problem.
"We have to go farther than being against abortion,"
she said. "We have to help to make that baby welcome."
v "Volumes and volumes" of information on the psych
ological problems of pregnant women have been written,
according to Dr. Eugene Schwenke, a Lincoln general
practitioner. He said the unwed mother presents the single
greatest problem.
Schwenke said he thinks life starts at the time of con
ception and fertilization. In the first three months of preg
nancy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has termed accept
able for having an abortion, Schwenke said the baby is as
developed as it's going to be.
Because the fetus, if removed during these first three
months, would not be able to life, Schwenke said, he
would agree with persons who say the fetus is not then a
potential human being.
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