New twist on arguments
Abortion philosophies debated
By Diane Bray ton
Staff Reporter
A pro-choice position based on
religion and an anti-abortion posi
tion using scientific arguments
were heard by a standing-room
only crowd at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of
Law Thursday afternoon.
About 200 students and faculty
members listened to different per
spectives about the abortion issue
from Richard Duncan, a UNL, law
professor and president of the
Nebraska chapter of the Ruther
ford Society, and Kappie Weber,
active member of the Religious
Coalition for Abortion Rights.
Duncan opened the discussion,
stressing the scientific basis of his
arguments.
"I think we should
punish severely
physicians who
kill for pay.”
—Duncan
“The pro-life position is based
on indisputable scientific evi
dence,’’ he said. “The unborn
child is a unique human being,
genetically distinct from its
mother.”
Duncan said the * ‘pro-abortion
ist’ ’ position was not based on sci
i --
entific facts, but on the religious
and philosophical issue of fiper
sonhood,”
Weber emphasized religious
evidence supporting her pro
choice position, citing scriptures
from the Bible and Hebrew schol
ars.
“I believe life began when God
breathed life into the nostrils of
Adam,” Weber said. *‘I believe
life is everlasting. The sperm and
ovum were alive before they met
and they were alive after they
met.”
“I would not presume to tell
you when life begins,” she said.
Weber said it is the mother who
makes the decision and assumes
the responsibility.
‘‘It is between her and her
Maker,” she said.
After the two speakers pre
sented their views, they invited
questions from the audience.
Duncan responded to a question
about possible criminal penalties
for abortion by saying it was neces
sary to distinguish between the act
and the actor.
Women are the second victims
of abortion, he said.
‘‘I think wc should punish se
verely physicians who kill for
pay,” Duncan said.
Weber said physicians should
decide when fetuses are alive, not
the courts.
Both speakers were asked about
the male’s role in the abortion is
sue.
Weber said that women have
“a 100 percent, exclusive right to
choose” whether to have an abor
tion but that the issue is not a
simple one.
<Women have) “a
100 percent, ex
clusive right to
choose.
-Weber
Duncan said, “Both men and
women have a responsibility not to
abuse them (children), not to kill
them.”
Duncan, asked how he felt
about polls indicating that the
majority of the population sup
ports abortion, responded that the
polls changed as questions got
more specific.
“A strong majority of people
think abortion should be illegal in
those cases,” he said. “People
think more than 90 percent of
abortions should be illegal.”
Jim OglofT, psychology instruc
tor and member of the Nebraska
Civil Liberties Union, and Richard
Hamsberger, Cline Williams
Flavel A. Wright professor of law,
moderated the discussion. The
NCLU student group sponsored
the discussion.
If you can find a Macintosh in this room,
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MAit C-fiOfNiM6
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*
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