• -V V
Bill’s demise called positive
By Veronica Daehn
and Jill Zeman
Staff writers
A lot can change in four months.
A discovery made by the Omaha
World-Herald last November that the
University of Nebraska Medical Center
was conducting research using aborted
fetal tissue spawned controversy
throughout the state of Nebraska.
It produced four lohg months df
heated debate between supporters of
research using aborted fetal tissue and
those who oppose it
The issue was brought to the
Legislature in January.
And now, after four months of lob
bying, four months of phone calls to
state senators and four months of
protests, it’s all over, for this year at
least
Tuesday, LB 1405, which would
have prohibited research at state
schools using aborted fetal tissue, was
abruptly pulled from the floor by its
principal introducer, Sen. John Hilgert
}f Omaha.
Members of the Association of
Students of the University of Nebraska
voted to lobby against the bill, and
A.SUN President Andy Schuerman
said he wasn’t surprised the bill failed
because he realized there wouldn’t be
enough votes for its passage.
“I’m glad the Legislature has
decided to re-focus thqir efforts th^s
session,” he said.
Schuerman said he felt ASUN’s
Government Liaison Committee did a
good job of organizing students to con
tact the state senators.
“Every little bit helps,” he said.
Schuerman said currently there
isn’t much student activism, and
UNMC’s research using aborted fetal
tissue brought out a lot of emotions
among University of Nebraska
Lincoln students.
“Students for Life did an impres
sive job lobbying, as well as student
groups who opposed (LB 1405),”
Schuerman said.
ASUN president-elect Joel Schafer
said he was pleased the bill did not
advance.
“I am relieved I won’t have to open
my administration with this issue,” he
said.
Schafer and first vice president
elect Riley Peterson said they were pre
pared to deal with any controversy sur
rounding the aborted fetal tissue
research, but they were pleased they
can focus on other issues.
“The fact that there’s not going to
be a forum right away with 100 angry
students will make thongs a lot easier,”
Peterson said.
The NU Board of Regents voted to
support UNMC’s research using abort
ed fetal tissue, and many regents were
pleased with Hilgert’s decision to pull
the bill.
“I don’t think any good would have
come from further discussion,” said
Regent Don Blank of McCook. “We’re
doing the right thing (at UNMC).”
Blank said he hoped people would
have time to sit down and talk about the
issue now.
Regent Robert Allen of Hastings
agreed.
“Thfs gives all of us a chance to
catch our breath and talk about this,”
Allen said. “I’m very pleased that hap
pened.”
UNMC is using the aborted fetal
tissue cells for research on neurodegen
erative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s
and Parkinson’s diseases.
Allen said the research could bene
fit a large number of people.
“Fetal tissue is so important as a
research material,” Allen said. “To stop
these scientists would be a tremendous
setback for the state.”
Lyons Regent Chuck Hassebrook
said he was relieved at the Legislature’s
decision.
“That’s the right approach,”
Hassebrook said. “If that bill had
passed now, the research would have
been forced to stop. That would have
put millions of people at risk.”
Hassebrook said the university now
needs to focus on finding alternative
sources of tissue.
“We need to retain the commitment
to research and develop a cure for
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,”
Hassebrook said. “It’s absolutely essen
tial.”
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Senator ends tenure
of fetal tissue proposal
BILL from page 1
tinue to look for alternative sources
of tissue.
‘The university has made some
changes, and, hopefully, they’ll
make one more,” he said.
Hilgert said he did not oppose
the research itself.
The use of fetal tissue from elec
tive abortions is the problem, he
said.
He said the use of fetal tissue by
a state university may have alienated
some Nebraska residents.
“We want the people of
Nebraska to support the university,”
he said.
Gov. Mike Johanns had said ear
lier he would sign the bill into law if
it passed.
Chris Peterson, spokesman for
the governor, said Johanns was dis
appointed Tuesday after the bill’s
withdrawal.
“(Johanns) believes the
researchcan go on without the use of
fetal tissue from elective abortions,”
Peterson said.
Johanns wasn’t surprised the bill
was pulled, though, Peterson said,
because only 28 senators voted to
pull the bill from committee.
“The governor knew several
days ago it would be tough (for the
bill to pass),” Peterson said.
Before Hilgert’s withdrawal,
several senators opposed to the bill
called the measure unconstitutional.
Sen. Gerald Matzke of Sidney
was one of those senators.
“I am so appalled that an uncon
stitutional bill like this could be
brought before this Legislature,”
Matzke said. “This bill absolutely
destroys the discretion of the Board
of Regents.
“It never should have been
passed out of committee, and we
should not be voting on it.”
Nebraska
mma g ng^a
me iransmission of Trauma
Across Generations:
Writing a Memoir
About Growing Up in the Suburbs
and the Armenian Genocide
ursday, March 30f 2000
ska Union Auditorium
7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the
Harris Center for Judaic Studies
m