By Erin Schulte
Senior Reporter
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„ Three senators presented bills to the Judi
ciary Committee Wednesday that would ban
partial-birth abortions unless the mother’s life
was at stake.
Sen. Dave Maurstad of Beatrice, who intro
duced one of the bills, said the abortions fringed
on murder.
Partial-birth abortions, also called intact di
lation and evacuation, usually occur between
the 18th and 24th weeks of pregnancy. The doc
tor dilates the woman’s cervix, delivers the legs
and torso of the fetus, punctures the head with
a sharp object and sucks out the brain to allow
it to fit through the cervix.
“If there is any action that comes closer to
infanticide, I don’t want to know about it,”
Maurstad said. ‘It would be defined as murder
if the baby’s head were outside the mother’s
body.”
HHHHPHI ■■■■■■
Senators said the three bills, LB23, LB 167
andLB217, were similar and may later be com
bined. All made partial-birth abortions illegal
except if the mother’s life was in danger.
Vikki Stella flew in from Illinois to tell about
her experience with a partial-birth abortion and
opposed the bill.
While she was pregnant, doctors found the
baby’s head was filled with fluid and did not
have a brain, and had nine abnormalities. The
baby would not live outside her body, Stella
said.
“I made the agonizing decision to take my
son off life support,” Stella said.
Stella was 33 weeks into the pregnancy
when the baby was aborted. She did not want
to go through vaginal delivery or a Caesarean
section, she said, because she was a diabetic
and could not heal as easily as most people, and
feared she would be sterile if the fetus was not
aborted.
Stella broke into sobs while testifying, and
told the committee it was God, not her, who
chose for her son to die. The surgery enabled
• her to have more children, she said.
Two who testified in support of the bills told
stories of babies they could have been encour
aged to abort who were now healthy years later.
Susan King of Kearney brought in her 10
year-old son, Devin, as living proof that a fetus
classified as abnormal can not only live, but
have special talents.
When she was pregnant, doctors said
Devin’s head was filled with fluid and they did
not know if he had a brain.
Ten years later, Devin is playing the violin
and piano by ear, King said. She also noted that
she, too, was diabetic.
“One life taken by this is one life too many,”
she said.
Bob Blank, vice chairman of Metro Right
to Life, shared a similar story.
His 16-year-old son was bom with birth
defects, spina bifida and fluid on the brain. To
day, he walks, talks and is a champion speller.
“My son is a miracle of the Lord,” Blank
said. “When we talk about all these things, we’re
leaving Go<jiout'al together.”
Several who testified in support of the bill
said the abortions were hardly ever performed
to save the life of the mother.
Dr. Bruce Taylor, a Lincoln gynecolgist, said
80 percent of all partial-birth abortions were
elective.
“It’s far from being a life-saving procedure
for the mother,” Taylor said.
Kelly Groux, president of the Pro-Choice
Coalition of Nebraska said lawmakers should
stay in their place — the government. ,
“Lawmakers are not experienced in deter
mining apmogrtate|bedical treatment,” Groux
said. “Legislators do hot belong in the examin
ing room, operating room or delivery room.
“A woman does not carry a pregnancy to
that stage only to have an abortion.”
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Armed Robbery
A 47-year-old woman was
robbed at gunpoint outside her
house Tuesday night, but the two
robbers got away with'odty $2.50.
The woman told Lincoln Police
she was walking to her mailbox
outside 2950 N. 49th St. at about
9:55 p.m. when two men wearing
dark clothes approached her.
Sgt. Ann Heermann said one
man wearing a ski mask pulled out
a handgun, put it to her head and
demanded money. Another man
with a baseball cap over his face
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The two men took the money
and ran northbound on 49th Street.
The woman described the man with
the gun as 5 feet 7 inches tall and
weighing 150 pounds.
Wi !
Enter the stakes
ADVANCE
to enter race
ADVANCE from page 1
said there are residence hall student
assistants, former senators and other
community leaders as candidates in the
ADVANCE party.
Ruwe also addressed the issues of
computer technology, higher student
fees caused by campus renovations,
and parking. He said fees should not
increase for computer education and
that ADVANCE would oppose any
policy that would limit the amount of
parking available to students.
“We stand today in the face of...
racial issues, sexist issues and diver
sity issues,” Ruwe said. “We have
tough issues and the road will not be
smooth, I can promise you.
“The ADVANCE team is ready,
willing and able to travel the rough
road.”
Rager agreed.
“ASUN has tremendous potential,
and I believe that we are the party that
will continue to advance that poten
tial to reality,” she said.
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