Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Birth con (Continued from page 1) required to remain in the hospital more than a few hours. Price, like personal preference, varies greatly. In some clinics, the. price can be as low as $200. Others prefer the more orthodox surroundings of a hospital and a private doctor. /The USC student at Beth Israel paid her doctor $338, the hospital $24K) for the use of the operating room and the service of the recovery room in which she rested for three hours; the anesthesiologist received $50, total cost (excluding transportation to and from New York): $588. The doctor for this particular operation was a medium to high priced gynecologist with an office in modest, but prestigeous Grammercy Park, around the corner from Beth Israel Hospital. Others simply go up-state New York or to a clinic where an abortion can be obtained somewhat cheaper. Regardless of what type or cost of the abortion, one thing is common to all; they are performed in adequate, medically approved facilities, done by competent licensed doc tors, and they are legal. According to the USC coed who was at Beth Israel,, the at mosphere, no matter how tense, was preferable to a motel room in Columbia. The same girl then told of a friend of hers that had become pregnant and had an abortion in Columbia. Various complications set in, none of which are un common, and she had to go into a local hospital. By the time she paid the abortionist, the doctor and the hospital, her illegal, local abortion had cost her $850, plus a very painful and depressing two weeks. One of the nurses at the hospital also commented that the legal abortion is much easier on the patient and her child's father. The emotional pangs of terminating you childs life can never really b( totally allievated, but the legalit3 of the operation can greatly lesser the guilt and emotional hangover Whatever the benefits of th( present law in New York, al doctors interviewed stressed tha they would prefer better birtl control programs so that th abortions performed in New Yorl would not be necessary. One such doctor perscribes birtl control pills to all his abortio1 patients as part of his treatmeni Most girls, following th procedure, vow to take the pill regardless of there sexual habit! Most college girls interviewed als blame their unwanted pregnacy o stupidity, their own for not lookini into birth control procedures, an the stupidity of their institutior for not making the informatic: easily available, like polio vaccin< Unfortunately for this particuh IiSC' coed and according to a oca g.vnecologist hundreds of othe I ISC girls, the University of Soul Carolina does not share the opinic of most New York or for th; matter. local doctors. it is impossible to receive bir control information or device pills included, at the USC medic health facility, the Wallai Tlhompson Memorial Infirmar TIhis policy apparently is decide by the administration of USC, voiced by D)r. Harvey Burneti director of the informary. It is interesting to note that tI is not the policy of the state South Carolina. At -The Ricbjai . onty HIealth Center No .f, . ir trol -evid( control information and pills are dispensed at cost. This facility is run by the County of Richland, and supported by the state of' South Carolina, as is the University. A doctor at the health center described the main patrons of the clinic as "non-white poor." Ac cording to the physician, the dispensation of the birth control material is a normal part of their duties. The only criteria demanded by the Richland County Health U nit are that the .patient be 21, . . ..... .... ....... :Abortion. referral services It %- O O'RA FT 8 (' unf41111ist Hello Florida Women's. Medical Association. May I help you?" ''ti-h yes, I am a student at the Iiniversity of South Carolina and I saw your ad in the Gamecock, " I said. 'Yes, my name is Adrianne. +The Florida Women's Medical Association is a referral agency. We refer you to a hospital in New York where the girl will be on an outpatient status. She won't have to stay overnight. "I want to tell you about the procedure they use. When was '.her last period?" the voice was .soft, sympathetic and under other circumstances, it could ::have been quite sexy. "lh two, " I mumbled. SThe voice name Adrianne sunded puzzled, "Two days?" No, two months; eight weeks." Adrianne resumed control, I :see, well then, they would use the vacuum aspiration method. Have you ever heard of it?" t "'-h, no I haven't." 'Well, the vacuum aspiration - 8 method is a modern method C which takes ahnut 6 to 10 minutes and there is no pain involved." *No pain, " I said woodenly. - Yes, no pain and the e *'operaition is performed by one sof the finest gynecologists in -New~ York. 0 Now. if I could have your n::name'' The operation is very gsate. TIhere is no more danger. d in it than in a tonsillectomy. s -lbh, I'd rather not, if you n(doin't mind." - Very well, then. Has the rpregnancy been confirmed by a 3r 'Yes." th A drianne went on to tell about i >n the details of payment and how at the appointment would be set up. The cost for the abortion th ~:would be $25~0. s' E Iven though the new abortion l :laws that are emerging in other e states particularly New York. aeablessing. Evnthough my smistress was imaginary and I as wouldln't have to call The e'Florida Women's Medical .Association f'or real, I still us couldn't shake the feeling that I ~had of being a bad boy who had .nt factor have parental permission, or be married. The clinic is open daily from 9-M1 a.m. to 1:(X) a.m., and from 2H) p.m. to 4:(X) p.m. According to Thomas F. Jones, president of USC and main 1igurehead of university policy, "I don't see any changes in this (dispensation of birth control in formation) because of the existing morals and values of the society which supports the school. This is information that is rather easily available and to get from any doctor." When a USC girl who had ob tained an abortion last year was told of .Jones statement, she replied "sure, you can get' pills from a doctor in town, but it's like sneaking oft in secret because birth control is something terrible. ''he county clinic gives them (pills) out. and the same state supports the clinic as well as the iniversity. I just think that the lime will come when the lUniversity will have to recognize it's responsibility and realize that the problem cannot be ignored lorever." Foard discusses takeover Fifth Circuit Solicitor John W. Foard Jr. has scheduled a pre-trial conference March 29 with more than three dozer people accused in a studeni takeover of the USC Ac ministration Building las spring. The conference is part of a special one-week court term authorized by Presiding Judge Francis B Nicholson. Foard said that the special term had not beer scheduled specifically fot the USC cases, bu ''because of our backlog o cases.'' When asked about the purpose of the pre-trial conference, Foard said, ' can't make that public. have to discuss it with everyone involved.'' Foard did, however, stat4 that he would make ar announcement the Monday, or Tuesday of that weel concerning when the cas, would be disposed of. Don't bsuy KCampus Shop i---;:A t the movies . tNo Blade Editor's note: Today At the movies concerns what is billed as the first environment film, "No Blade of Grass." Troy Davis, a well known environmentalist and chairman of last spring's Earth, Day Time Capsule project, has reviewed what is publicized as an important enviornmental film. Some people will stoop to about anything to make a buck. NO BLADE OF GRASS is sup posed to be the first of the new movies that deals directly with the environmental crisis that the world is presently experiencing. With this last statement in mind, I paid my "All Seats $2" fee and entered the "fabulous" Fox. What NO BLADE OF GRASS is suppossed to be and what it is is an experience in itself. To put it in a nutshell, NO BLADE OF GRASS is a cheap, rip-off movie, with sen satioralism as its prime theme. First of all, the film was made in Panavision, yet shown at the Fox (which, incidentally, does not have Panavision facilities). The out come: some of the movie is shown on the wall immediately adjacent to the screen and there are slightly distorted images at the top of the screen--which is easy to get used to it you happen to have twisted vision or a high content of acid in your system. But, the set-up at the Fox can only take minimal blame for NO ILA)E OF GRASS being a piece of (a) plastic, (b) bat quano, Open season for protest The UFO operators have been convicted and are appealing their case before the S.C. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, John Foard has pressed hard against the university administration for what he feels is a lack of appropriate action. Several arrests for drug law violations have been made in the months preceeding elections. Several arrests for drug law violations have been made in the months preceeding elections inose chnargd with trespassing and destruction of state propert) have been judged by the Board oi Trustees and are awaiting trial Meanwhile, the Student Mobilization Committee, under its inner circle of leadership, has taken the initiative and sponsored a demonstration of support for the Georgetown Steel Strike and has held a demonstration against the supposed incursion into Laos. But the question is: who really runs the SMC? The University campus has been relatively calm--just as one of the leaders of SMC promised when she said three months ago, "We don't plan any heavy agitation until later." A deceptive calm, interrupted by a few bombings, has taken over the campuses across the nation. There have been more bomb threats than anything else. A number of threats have been phoned into the campus security offices here, but nobody will say how many. How much "heavy agitation' SMC plans and what the extent of student support will be nobody knows--except that "inner circle' of SMC, who seems to be calling thesahnts. .. of Grass by Troy Davis s ic) extreme "rip-off" capitalism at its best. MGM studio is responsible for such a piece of a, b, or c being released. The movie has all of the intellectual appeal contained in such triumphs as "Angels on Wheels" and about as much aesthetic value as the "Beverly Hillbillies." The first 30 minutes of the flick contains such "sit on the edge of your uncomfortable chair" scenes as vomiting on camera. blood, bikers (complete with leather jackets, shades, and chains), blood, cheap mob scenes, a mother and her "virgin" daughter being raped, a wounded soldier who moans and screams in agony until some decent guy shoots him in the head to put him out of his misery. blood, large busts (the nipple variety , and more blood. In otherwords, "No Blade of Grasm' contains all of the elements necessary to "sell a movie to the American public. Even the musical score was performed by a single organ and a drum--giving the glorious effect of a dragged-out soap opera or a cheap late, late show. The idea behind the movie is not really so bad a scene in the future where the world has reached its limit of poisons in the air, earth, and water and the utter outcome is chaos, cannibalism, and every man for himself. Maybe this could actually happen someday, but believe me, it the producers and something other than money on their minds and if there really is a meaning there were some excellent pollution shots ---it is buried among all of the trash (perhaps pollution'> in the script. If this flick had been run on the late show, I would have turned it off. I you are an environmentalist, by all means DON'T see title: "No Blade of Grass." Instead, invest your two hours and your "All Seats S2" in something worthwhile, i.e., don't be a sucker. After 45 minutes of this trashy movie, I realized that I could take no more. Thus, I proceeded to the manager's office to ask for my money back (which, I Cound, cannot be done). Some people have told me that I should i have stayed around to see the 'great" ending. All I can say to them is, that in this case, the ends could not possibly justify the means. Dickey to read his works .James D)ickey, USC's poet-in residence and best-selling novelist, will read from his works, past, present and unpublished 8:00 p.m., TIuesday at the Columbia Museum >of Art. D)ickey, who calls himself a poet I irst, has recently scored a great suc'cess on his first novel, Deliverance. The book will be made into a movie this spring by Warner Brothers; the scenery will 'ove'r selected areas in Georgia. Wit h little theatrical affectation, I )ickey likes to surprise himself