Wednesday, march 4, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 106, no. 37
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Second-round approval advances abortion bill
By Patti Gallagher
abortions received
in the Nebraska
by Sens. Don
After five days of debate and numerous
amendment attempts, a bill restricting
insurance coverage for
second-round approval
Legislature Tuesday.
LB 125, sponsored
Dworak of Columbus and Bernice Labedz
and Marge Iliggins, both of Omaha, was
advanced on a 33-1 1 vote.
It must be approved a final time before
going to Gov. Thone for his signature.
It lias been under discussion on the
floor since last week. Attempts to amend
the bill to exclude rape and incest from the
restricted abortion coverage have failed.
The bill would prohibit the use of pub
lic funds for any group insurance policies
paying for abortions, except abortions to
prevent the death of the pregnant woman.
It allows insurance coverage for medical
complications arising from abortions to
continue.
None of the three sponsors spoke in
support of the bill because of the extensive
debate already heard.
On Tuesday, three Lincoln senators
sponsored an unsuccessful amendment to
LB 125 to allow Lancaster County elected
officials to be excluded from the bill. The
amendment sponsored by Sens. Steve
Fowler, Dave Landis and Shirley Marsh, all
of Lincoln, failed 15-23.
According to Fowler, the amendment
would have been "a statement of confi
dence that locally -elected officials can
handle a matter as sensitive as this without
the help of the Legislature."
Landis, speaking against the bill, said
the "common thread" of LB 125 and all
abortion issues is an attempt by anti-abortionists
to end all abortions.
"Proponents are saying, 'Let us find any
and all means to end abortion; let us find
any and all means to restrict the choice for
women,' " Landis said.
He said the heart of the bill tries to
answer the question: "What is Life?",
which he likened to trying to answer a
question like "How many angels dance on
the head of a pin?"
The question is philosophical and insol
uable, he said.
"There is clear evidence of human
suffering and misery that is brought about
if there is an end to choice," Landis said.
Coat-hanger abortions, battered children
and broken homes result when women are
forced to bear unwanted children, he said.
Rutford says SS A vote could influence decision
By Val Swinton
The final decision on whether UNL will support a State
Student Association rests with UNL interim Chancellor
Robert Rutford, and will be out of the hands of ASUN's
Government Liaison Committee after today's election,
said GLC Chairperson Nette Nelson.
Nelson called a press conference Tuesday to clear up
what she termed misconceptions about the SSA. Nelson
said GLC would probably not continue to support a stu
dent association if a majority of students vote against it
today.
"The results will be provided to ASUN, which will for
ward them to Rutford," Nelson said. "It is Rutford's de
cision.
Students voting for or against SSA in today's election
will be providing only an advisory opinion, which will not
be binding on Rutford's decision.
sWS. if
mm
Photo courtesy of UNL Recreation Department
UNL students Troy Titterington, Brian Lojek and Russell Strauch take part in a rock climbing exercise on Rucu
Pinchincha. a mountain just outside of Quito, Ecuador. Six UNL students went on the mountain climbing expedit
ion during Christmas break. The trip was sponsored by the Recreation Department.
Reagan's trimmed budget to have
unknown impact on loan programs
By Betsy Miller
President Ronald Reagan's budget trimming will
apparently reach many sectors of the nation and it could
affect some financial assistance programs at UNL as well.
Reagan told Congress recently that the Guaranteed
Student Loan program and a program that gives financial
assistance to students from families with incomes over
$25,000 a year may be revamped.
Don Aripoli. IHS'L director of scholarships and financ
ial aids, said it is hard to know what impact Reagan's
ideas will have on financial aid at the university because
nglit now these ideas are merely proposals.
The program giving aid to students from higher -income
families targeted for elimination by Reagan has many
intangibles which must be worked out, Aripoli said.
Therefore, he said, he cannot predict how it will affect
students until it is passed.
However, the proposal for the guaranteed student
loan program is easier to explain, he said.
Continued on Page 3
Rutford said, though, that the outcome of the vote will
influence his decision.
"I'd have to be pretty naive not to consider the vote,"
he said.
Students would be assessed 50 cents each for each
semester's student fees to finance an SSA if it is approved
by Rutford. The Committee for Fees Allocation already
lias recommended $20,750 for the association.
"In terms of the decision-making process, this will be a
substantial increase for Fund A," Rutford said, referring
to the university fund from which the money would be
drawn.
An overwhelming vote for or against SSA could be in
fluential in Rutford's decision, he said.
"If the students are strong in their support, I'll take that
as an indication they want a self-induced fee," he said.
Nelson said that, along with the results of the election,
ASUN will forward a recommendation to Rutford.
Although GLC members will be available to answer ques
tions from the interim chancellor, they will not promote
the SSA to him, she said.
"I don't see us lobbying the chancellor, because we've
chosen to go through the ASUN process," she said.
The GLC also will turn in to Rutford the 3,000 signa
tures it has gathered in support of the SSA, she said.
Rutford said that even if voter turnout is low today,
he will seriously consider the students opinions on SSA.
"UNL has not been characterized by having 50 or 60
percent of the students vote in an election," he said.
Nelson also attempted to clear up what she termed
misconceptions created by opponents of an SSA during
the press conference.
She said the association will not weaken UNL's posi
tion in its fight for state money.
"We're not concerned with fighting among or between
campuses for dollars," she said.
Nelson also denied rumors that a State Student Associ
ation would eventually become part of the United States
Student Association.
"We don't have any intention of it," she said.
She said the SSA's governing body, called the
general assembly, could only approve affiliation with the
national association if three-fourths of the members
favored the affiliation.
Polling schedule set
for ASUN elections
Polling places for today's ASUN elections are the Ne
braska Union from 9 a.m. to 8 pjn., the Last Union from
9 a.m. to 8 p.m., College of Business Administration from
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Andrews Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 pjn..
Love Library from 9 ajn. to 8 pjn., and the food service
areas of Abcl-Sandoz, Harper-Schramm-Smith and Cather-Pound-Neihardt
Residence halls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
and 4:30 to 7 pjn.
Wednesday
Faster food: The Crib in the Nebraska Union will be con
verted into a fast-food restaurant Page 6
Raging DeNiro: Teamed up again with director Martin
Scorsese, perennial Oscar nominee Robert DeNiro com
mands the role of Jake LaMotta in
Raging Bull Page 8
Spring Fever: Columnist Tad Stryker discusses the upcom
ing baseball season Page 10
