Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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How fast was he going v Broadwate of U.S. in By BOB CRAFT Staff Writer "We have dumped 50,000 lives and 10 years to support a govern ment that, by its own admission, will last 24 hours if we pull out," '1homas Broadwater, Columbia attorney and recent visitor to the delegations at the Paris Peace talks said last night. At a Student Mobe meeting, Broadwater gave an analogy of the present political situation in Vietnam. He said if the state of South Carolina divided below the Broad River into North and South. and a Bobby Seale or an H. Rap Brown type were set up in Flor'ence by a colonial power such as China or the Soviet Union, given a secret police force of 250,000 black" men armed with machine guns and were told to go "take care of the white people" you would have a good analogy of the situation in Vietnam. Broadwater said that the Bud dhists and the Catholics in Viet nam have been played against one another, but that now they were "joining hands." The Diem brothers, Broadwater said, he. learned in Paris had agreed to hold the eiections in South Vietnam according to the 1956 Geneva Accords six months before their deaths in 1963. The Diems had decided to hold the during wit* ........ hen he backed Into you? r speaks rolvement elections no matter what the consequence. Broadwater said it was related that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had 'eliminated" the Diem brothers. There could be "no free elections because the CIA wouldn't permit it." Broadwater also said that the Gulf of Tonkin incident may have been staged by the CIA to inflame and frighten the American public. Broadwater told of seeing a film in which leaflets were dropped on a village telling the inhabitants they had six hours to evacuate before a bombing attack. He said that as the villagers were leaving, they were napalmed. He also said that he had seen pictures of what defoliants in Vietnam are doing to the land. He said soil had been eroded away from tree roots as much as six feet. North Vietnam, Broadwater said, has released nine American POW's, but the United States has jeopardized chances for more prisoner releases because one POW was sent to Arizona to train helicopter pilots. This is in violation of the Geneva Convention because any POW repatried before the end of hostilities may not be sent to serve the war making system. Broadwater said. Broadwaler. Continuced on page 5 National Secretaries Week nk her in a beautiful way a Blossom Shop bouquet ~ Call 254-8105 rfive points C ompuls4 reason foi BY GIENI)A MILLER Staff Writer One of the main reasons for overpopulation is "compulsory pregnancy," according to Roy Lucas. president of the James Madison Constitutional Law In stitute. Lucas spoke Monday night on the TConstitutionality of Compulsory Pregnancy" as part of the ob servance of Earth Week. The lawyer presented the history ol abortions and their legality. He said that abortions were legal in early colonial America, but were probably ruled illegal to increase the population of the new nation. The states passed abortion laws in the early 1800's for medical reasons, Lucas said. The early operations were very painful until Sir Joseph Lister discovered local anesthesia in 1867. Abortions during all stages of pregnancy were outlawed by the Pope in 1869, probably because Napoleon wanted French women t o bear more children for his army. Many states have changed their .abortion laws during the last few years. Four states have almost repealed restrictive abortion laws. New York, Alaska, Washington and Hawaii have the most ad vanced abortion facilities and lowest costs, Lucas said. South Carolina's abortion laws are almost identical to those of' Sweden, Lucas said. England's laws have provided for abortion on request since 1967. The major medical associations have been instrumental in changing abortion laws, Lucas said. Last June the American Medical Association (AMA) voted Some research "experts" say you cai taste the difference between beers... blindfolded What doy< WHEN YVOU SAY Budwei YOU'VE SAID IT ALL! ANHssE.USe R-weH IN.*S :ry pregna r overpop in lavor of abortion on request and said it was an individual matter hetween a woman and her physician. IW'iffeen private judges and 21 state judges have said laws making - abortions illegal are a violation of a woman's right to privacy, Lucas said. One of the following five con ditions usually has to be met for a legal abortion in the states that allow them: M where an abortion is necessary to preserve the life of the patient 42) where there is a grave danger to a person's mental health (3) in the case of rape (in South Carolina an abortion is legal it the woman reports the fact that she was raped within seven days alter it occurred.) (4) in the case of incest (under S.C. law a woman must report this within 40 days) 15 1 where the pregnant woman had German measles during the early stages of pregnancy. Lucas said many of the laws concerning abortions deal with the type of facilities under which an abortion must be performed. S.C. law states that a minor must have parental permission to be eligible for an abortion and a married woman must have her husband's consent. Lucas said. 'A woman has the right to decide her fertiltiy," Lucas said, and this is the basis for many cases contesting the constitutionality of the laws. "The right not to produce should be protected by law and a -women's right to privacy and her right to determine her fertility" should be guaranteed by law, Lucas said. He added that state governments try to qualify their abortion laws '1 r .t.'n ncy main ulation by holding the laws exist for the woman's good to protect her from the dangers of abort ions. However, more women die during childbirth than as the result of an abortion performed under the right con ditions and by a qualified physician. he said. Male legislators sometimes say Ihe laws exist to curb promiscuity, 1,ucas said. However, he added that restrictive abortion laws do not curb promiscuity, and the sex behavior of individuals is none of t he business of legislators, he ' added. - The Catholic Church and Right to Life Committees say the embryo has a "right to life." Lucas said the embryo is microscopic at the time of an abortion. "Comparing this to a human being is like comparing an acorn to an oak tree," he said. * An embryo is considered to be a humaq at the time it is complete capable of survival outside of the womb." Laws concerning abortions are too vague. Lucas said. "Mental health dangers" are described in Maryland as any unwanted pregnancy, but in South Carolina the same law is not defined so liberally, Lucas said. South Carolina doctors do not want to be known as abortionists, he added. The requirement that only certilied hospitals should be used as abortion facilities hould be striken, Lucas said. "Well equipped clinics are quite adequate for the simple procedure involved in performing an abor tion. The clinics can also provide the woman with information and methods of birth control," he added.