Students -;
mull bill’s
attributes
STUDENTS from page 1
examine their actions.
“The number one issue is that the
university’s governing body has
already made a decision, and it should
be left in their hands,” he said.
Schuerman’s term as president
expires March 29, and if members of
ASUN wish to continue to lobby
against LB 1405, they’ll need to phss
another bill, he said.
“The timing is a little awkward,
but we’ll be lobbying to the best of our
ability during this next week,” he said.
Joel Schafer, ASUN president
elect, said he has no concrete plans
about what he will do with the issue.
“Before I do anything I will speak
with Students for Life and other stu
dent groups,” he said. “I know when
ASUN passed (the bill to lobby
against LB 1405), some groups felt
left out of the discussion.”
Schafer said he felt the bill ASUN
passed caused students to become
divided about the issue.
“I want to avoid the divisive
nature of the first and second bills
ASUN passed,” he said.
After members of the Association
of Students of the University of
Nebraska passed a bill to lobby
against LB 1405, ASUN senators sent
letters and made phone calls to mem
bers of the Legislature, Schuemjan
said.
Schuerman did not testify at the
Judiciary Committee’s hearing of the
bill because there was a lengthy list of
testifiers, and Schuerman felt they
adequately covered ASUN’s views.
Becky Schlautman, a UNL senior
psychology and English major and
co-president of UNL Students for
Life, said she was excited the bill
advanced to the floor.
Schlautman and her group have
spent time contacting students and
senators to give them information
about their viewpoint.
If the bill fails to pass, Schlautman
said she feels the issue still should be
discussed.
“We need to let people know
where we stand,” she said.
Kelli Doyle, a University of
Nebraska-Lincoln junior biochem
istry major, said although she thinks
research should be checked periodi
cally, she opposes the legislative ban.
Doyle said, the ban could hinder
groundbreaking research by causing
researchers to be hesitant about draw
ing controversy.
“(A ban on the research) could
cause people to be afraid of trying
something new,” Doyle said. “It takes
away from the intellectual ability to
find new things and progress.”
Doyle said she thought too much
importance is being placed on the
cells being used.
“The aborted cells are just cells,
and I don’t believe there has to be any
value placed on them,” she said
Schafer emphasized the impor
tance of students voicing their opin
ions.
“I encourage students who feel
strongly about the issue to take the ini
tiative to contact their own state sena
tors,” he said.
“ASUN lobbying shouldn’t take
the place of legislative lobbying.”
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Regents-say legislators
making a wrong move
KMjfclYlS from page 1
V ; • - ' <
“The research has the potential to
save millions of lives without caus
ing additional abortions.”
The regents on Dec. 11 unani
mously voted to support the fetal tis
sue research being conducted at the
University of Nebraska Medical
Center.
It was publicized in November
that UNMC was using aborted fetal
tissue for research on neurodegener
ative diseases such as Alzheimer’s
and Parkinson’s diseases.
Critics of the research say using
aborted fetal tissue encourages
abortion. They say it’s impossible to
separate the two.But Hassebrook
said the two were unrelated.
“This is a mistake,” Hassebrook
said. “This research could save mil
lions of lives. It’s not causing a sin
gle abortion, and we’re going to stop
it?”
Don Blank, a regent from
McCook, agreed that passing the
bill into law would be a mistake.
“They want to discuss it, and
that’s fine,” Blank said. “But there’s
a tremendous amount of good com
ing from this research.”
He said the Legislature should
not interfere with internal decisions
made by the university and the
Board of Regents.
“They think it’s something they
have to do,” he said. “I disagree with
them. (Interfering with decisions of
the university) is a precedent that’s
not good.”
Blank also said stopping or con
tinuing the research with aborted
fetal tissue would not affect the
number of abortions performed.
Kearney Regent Kent Schroeder
said the research at UNMC should
continue, but he said the medical
center needs to continue to look for
alternative sources of tissue.
UNMC announced last month
that it had started looking for other
sources of fetal tissue.
Schroeder said he was unsure if
the Legislature should get involved
with the issue.
It s tough for me to say,”
Schroeder said. “There’s not a lot of
choice with those issues. (They)
will be debated in the political arena
whether they should be or shouldn’t
be.”
Other examples of issues similar
to the fetal tissue research debate
are Social Security and a
Republican plan to cut funding for
school lunches that was raised sev
eral years ago, he said.
The issue of using aborted fetal
/ guarantee the
Legislature in
Massachusetts is
not telling
Harvard what
tissue to use.”
Robert Allen
Hastings regent
tissue for research is a political and
emotional one, Schroeder said.
Robert Allen, a regent from
Hastings, said the bill could hurt the
people of Nebraska.
“It’s unfortunate the Legislature
is doing what they are doing,” Allen
said. “They don’t realize the quality
of the research being done.”
Allen said senators are being
swayed by information put out by
groups like Nebraska Right to Life.
“They are listening to people •
who are making this an emotional
issue,” Allen said. “(The right-to
life groups) are filled with inaccu
rate comments.”
Allen said he does not think the
Legislature should be involved with
a university decision.
“I guarantee the Legislature in
Massachusetts is not telling Harvard
what tissue to use,” he said.
The fetal tissue research is
important, Allen said, and he is not
sure when or if other sources of tis
sue will be available.
The regent said there is nothing
wrong with using tissue from an
aborted fetus.
Allen compared the fetal tissue
to a transplant.
“Medicine needs this material to
continue to make progress,” he said.
“To take information from Right to
Life is unfortunate. They want to
force you to agree with them. That’s
not the way we work in this coun
try.”
Hassebrook said there are an
increasing number of Alzheimer’s
patients in the country and in
Nebraska.
As a land-grant institution, it is
part of the University of Nebraska’s
responsibility to look for a cure to
diseases that afflict Nebraskans, he
said. The Legislature’s bill would
prevent UNMC from doing so.
“This is not a pro-life measure,”
Hassebrook said. “(Stopping the
research) will cost life.”
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