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Thursday, August 3, 1995 Page 4
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Joel Strauch.....Editor, 472-1766
Gerry Beltz.J.Features Editor
Jennifer Miratsky..Copy Desk Chief
Protect passengers
Riding in truck beds unsafe
There is a new bill being considered that would make it illegal
for passengers to ride in the bed of a pickup.
The foremost proponent of this bill, LB284, is Senator Jennie
Robak of Columbus, who says this bill is long overdue.
“Adults arc required to wear seat belts. Why let teens or
younger children ride unrestrained in the back of a truck?” Robak
said.
Robak has hit the nail on the head. If traffic safety is such an
. issue that seatbelt and helmet laws arc in effect, there is no reason
to allow people to be unchecked in the open space of a truck.
More attention has been given to this bill recently because of
the death of Nathan Garcia, a Lincoln Northeast High School
student, who died of injuries after being thrown from the bed of a
pickup truck last Friday.
> li
It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy of this magnitude to
give this issue the consideration it deserves.
Too many drivers out on the road are not taking their own
personal safety or that of their passengers into consideration.
The state shouldn’t have to regulate common sense, but certain
risk takers feel that it is their God-given right to be reckless in
their actions.
Although the number of deaths in Nebraska from people flying
out of trucks is not great, there are myriad injuries from just such
accidents.
The new bill wpuld prohibit any person operating a truck,
semi-trailer truck, trailer or truck-tractor on any highway in the
state from having a passenger in an unenclosed or unroofed caigo
storage area of the vehicle.
The bill would impose a $50 fine on the person operating a
pickup truck with passengers in the bed.
In certain situations, at low speeds in town, passengers might
need to ride in the bed of a truck. But out on the open highway,
they’d be hitching for a ride with death.
Netraskan
Editor Joel Strauch, 472-1766
Features Editor Gerry Beltz
Copy Desk Editors Jennifer Miratsky
Courtney Methieson
Photo Chief Tanna Kinnaman
Art Director James Mehsling
General Manager Daniel Shattll
Production Manager Katherine Policky
Advertising Manager Amy Struthers
Asst. Advertising Manager Laura Wilson
PublicationsBoardchairman Tim Hedegaard,472-2588
Professional Adviser Don Walton, 473-7301
The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board,
Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., P.O. Box 880448, Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448, weekdays
during the academic year (except holidays); weekly during the summer session.
Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by
phoning 472-1763 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public also has
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Subscription price is $50 for one year.
Postmaster; Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1995 DAILY NEBRASKAN
Planned Parenthood provides
My faith in democracy and govern
ment has been restored, at least on the
local level.
The Lincoln City Council has voted
to uphold the current budget plans
which include $13,000 in funds to
Planned Parenthood. It was this money
and its destination which brought out
dozens of local residents to testify for
or against the proposal.
Fortunately, the council members
were wise enough to see that this facil
ity is absolutely necessary in Lincoln.
Regardless of individual views,
Planned Parenthood must be made
available to those who need to use its
services. Let’sbehonest here. Women
will get pregnant and many of them
will need help. These are facts, not
- opinion.
If Planned Parenthood, or a similar
service, was unavailable, many people
would have no safe place to go for
abortions. But even worse, there would
be no place to educate young people
on the possible side effects of sex,
including untimely pregnancy and dis
ease.
Some folks would like to think that
if the opportunity to have an abortion
is taken away, young people (or people
of any age for that matter) would no
longer engage in premarital (read sin
ful) sex. This fallacy goes hand in
hand with “if we don’t talk about it, it
won’t happen”.
Many of these people would like
nothing more than to go back to the
days of simple 1950’s life, where chil
dren were molested and uneducated,
parents and adults worked diligently
to cover up anything not moral ly pure,
and everyone walked around in a false
state of blissfulness and security with
rosy cheeks and exercised smiles.
One pro-life, anti-Planned Parent
hood citizen said that sex education
should start in the home, followed by
churches, synagogues and other reli
Michael Justice
“The only way to
effectively treat the
epidemic of teen and
unwanted pregnancy is
through education.
Planned Parenthood
offers this as a primary
function, while
abortions are made
available to those who
feel they have no other
choice. ”
gious institutions.
This came from the mouth of former
Governor Kay Orr. Thank the stars for
Ben Nelson and elections.
I do agree that parents are prima
rily responsible for the education of
their kids. However, suggesting that
organized religion be put in charge of
sexual education is like putting fas
cists in charge of libraries and book
publishing.
I’m not interested in putting on the
blinders and following sheepishly the
path of ignorance.
Not to say I’m against religion.
That’s not the case. I understand com
pletely the need to believe in some
thing more powerful than simple fate
and coincidence. But the current ap
proach to sex education taken by reli
gious factions is anything but thor
ough or non-judgmental.
Suppressing sex and sexual
thoughts is foolish and virtually im
possible. Discussing these thoughts,
however, and teaching kids the posi
tive and negative aspects of these
thoughts can reach deeper and effec
tively solve problems rather than de
lay them until damage has been done.
The hypocrisy in the pro-life camp
is disturbing to me.
Many have the attitude that a
woman must have a child, that the
woman has the moral and ethical obli
gation to bring it into this world re
gardless of the circumstances. And
that once it is bom they have com
pleted their duty as defenders of life
and now to the real job of raising the
child. The mother that quite possibly
has no interest in the child which in
evitably leads to the child enduring an
existence that is considered a mistake
or, at best, accidental.
The only way to effectively treat
the epidemic of teen and unwanted
pregnancy is through education.
Planned Parenthood offers this as a
primary function, while abortions are
made available to those who feel they
have no other choice.
Abortion is an emotional and sub
jective issue that has two decidedly
opposing parties, neither of whom wi 11
ever be swayed.
But whether or not abortions are
right or wrong is not important here.
The fact is we need this facility to help
those who are directly effected by
untimely pregnancies.
Education and options are the way
to improve on our lives, individually
and collectively. Luckily, the city
council agrees.
Justice is a senior broadcasting major and
a Daily Nebraskan columnist
