daily nebrsskan
thursday, msrch 17, 1977
50fft consider ao
m
onion amena
men
t unnecessary
Atrocious, but inconsequential, is how some described i
the Nebraska .Legislature's abortion amendment to the
state's proposed criminal code. I
The amendment, added last week and sponsored by;
Neligh Sen. John DeCamp, would require a woman re
ceiving an abortion to state in writing that her doctor has
informed her of abortion consequences and alternatives.
According to the law, the statement would be placed
in the woman's medical file, by law open only to her and
her doctor.
Lincoln Sen. Shirley Marsh, an opponent to the amend-
.
f
'7
I
I
I I
Ndigh Sen. John DeCsip tr.d
criminal code.
Photo by Tad Kirk
Sen. RcLad Luedtke discuss the abortion section of the state's revised
Varn
er plans UNL fund drive
Former NlTPresident D.B. Varner," currently chairman
and chief -executive officer of the NU Foundation, is
planning a fund-raising campaign for the university which
should be ready by the end of April, he said.
Varner, who assumed his new post Jan. 1, is
responsible for raising funds from private and business
sources with the Foundation.
Interim NU President Ronald Roskens and campus
chancellors are working with Varner to determine Nil's
highest priorities and areas of need, Varner said."
He predicted a major share of the money raised will be
spent "toward strengthening academic programs."
The campaign will be a "broad scale appeal" to
Nebraskans and particularly focused toward NU alumni,
faculty members and students, he added.
Predicting the goal will be "a substantial amount,"
Varner said he was not in a position to cite a more specific
sum yet.
ment, said, "They have passed it and made the right-to-life
people happy, but what good is it?"
DeCamp said the amendment was designed, to help pro
tect doctors against charges of misinformation by the
patient. This amendment will prevent patients from claim
ing that an abortion was performed without their
complete consent,
"Information I've gotten indicates there is a problem
of misinformation between doctors and abortion
patients," DeCamp said.
Marsh" and Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, another
opponent to the amendment, said they have heard of no
such complaints.
Diarte Kimmons, clinic director of Women's Services,
an Omaha abortion clinic, said doctors there go out of.
their way to be sure the patient really wants an abortion
before one is performed. Kimmons also questioned the
constitutionality and the enforceability of the amend
ment. , ..
Terry Theu, executive director of Lincoln's Planned
Parenthood called the amendment atrocious and said she
could see no reason for it.
"If they (legislators) would spend as much time,
money and energy on alternatives to abortion as they are
fighting for something they know is unconstitutional,
we'd be better off. They could cut down on abortions
that way," she said.
Chambers said the amendment is not necessary to pro?
tect doctors. Informed consent statements, indicating the
patient approves surgery before it is performed, already
are required by law for all medical procedures. He said the
additional "lecturing" about alternatives to abortion
required" by this amendment put undue pressure on
women;.' "
Chambers said he thinks the majority of the legislators
are not against abortion, but are bowing to pressure from
Roman Catholic groups. ,
DeCamp said that "to say the abortion amendment was
added because a majority of the legislature is against
abortion is an oversimplification. There are those who
believe abortion is more than a surgical operation," he
said. .,.
The amendment does not belong in the law because
Nebraska's state laws should be as constitutional as
possible, Marsh said.
"A group of men who don't agree with the constitu
tion should not try to inflict their will on the rest of us,"
Marsh said."
DeCamp agreed that the Supreme Court has ruled some
things constitutional and some unconstitutional, but
"they leave unanswered questions," he said. In those areas
where the federal abortion law has left gaps, we can place, (
restrictions where we feel they are warranted," DeCamp
said.
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Earthquake-monitoring study
headed by U N L professor
UNL will participate in a
federal earth-monitoring
program designed to
evaluate earthquake activity
in 14 eastern states for con
sideration in nuclear power
plant construction.
UNL's project on the
fringe of the Nemaha Uplift
network of Oklahoma,
Kansas and Nebraska, is
headed by Russell Smith,
UNL associate professor of
geology.
Although most of the
states in the network are in
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the eastern United States,
results from Nebraska's
study may show areas of
land movement in the state.
These land movements
would make it dangerous to
build plants there, Smith
said.
Through efforts of the
Nebraska Conservation and
Survey Division, Smith said,
UNL received funds for the
project from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission,
which is financing the
networks. The federal pro
gram has been operating for
about three years, but UNL
only recently joined the
program, he said.
A seismographic station
which earlier could not be
supported by UNL's
Geology Dept. can now be
, established and modifica
tions can be made on exist
ing equipment, he said.
Smith said UNL will use
three seismometers and a
recorder loaned by the fed
eral government and three
seismometers donated by
the Walter Echlcn family of
vviuuuvua
sexs-
i
432-1566
mometers will operate m a
specially constructed
$6,000 vault in Morrill Hall.
Three project sites
outside Lincoln will be
chosen by Smith on the
basis of freedom from sur
face vibration for placement
of the ether equipment. The
value of the equipment,
including the Behlen
donation, is about $25,000.
Smith said he hopes the
equipment in Morrill Hall
will be in operation by
April 1.