THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
KANSAN by paid
STATE
Kansas Legislature passes anti-abortion bill
K/KANSAN ded, the fish mixed
MATTHEW JOHNSON
mjohnson@kansan.com
The Kansas Senate passed House Bill 2253 Monday, all but confirming one of the most comprehensive anti-abortion bills in the country.
The bill needs only Gov. Sam Brownback's signature – something he has pledged to provide – before it becomes law.
Included in the bill are provisions that prohibit tax exemptions, credits and deductions from aiding abortion providers and women who receive abortions. It also forbids "an employee, agent or volunteer of an abortion services provider" from speaking or providing materials regarding sexuality or sexually transmitted diseases in public schools. The bill states, "The life of each human being begins at
fertilization."
Among the groups that testified in support of the bill is Kansans for
Life, the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee and the largest pro-life organization in Kansas. Kathy Ostrowski has been legislative director for 11 years.
birth and adoption to abortion.
And third, it ensures the informed consent of women considering an
"It's a modest bill that accomplishes several
"When they pass bills like this, legislators are telling women that we cannot be trusted to make the right choices in our lives."
NICKI ROSE Emily Taylor Center intern
things," Ostrowski said. "First, it retracts any tax advantages for abortion businesses or tax funding for abortions. Second, it provides an underpinning for legislative decisions in Kansas which prefer child-
abortion."
The bill addresses women's right-to-know statutes by requiring clinics to provide patients with printed materials about agencies that can assist with pregnancy and childbirth, "probable anatomical and
physiological characteristics of the unborn child at two-week gestational increments from fertilization to full term and controversial information about the "medical risks commonly associated with
each such procedure" including the risk of breast cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that no link exists between medically induced abortions and breast cancer.
Ostrowski argues that women are entitled to all available information about abortion - even if it is disputed by many researchers in the medical community.
"The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has written this, not Kansans for Life," she said. "We don't want to promote bogus science. We want families to think about the destruction of a human being."
Nicki Rose, intern for the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, expressed her personal reservations about the bill.
"Every time a legislature even discusses a bill like this, they are
deciding whether or not women are capable of making the right choice, the moral choice, the choice that best serves all parties involved, including the pregnancy in question," Rose said. "When they pass bills like this, legislators are telling women that we cannot be trusted to make the right choices in our lives."
"We're trying to use every tool to show that abortion is a bad thing on so many levels - morally, biologically and civically," Ostrowski said. "We want to make abortion unthinkable."
Ostrowski insists that the primary aim of Kansans for Life is to "change society more than pass a ban on abortion."
Edited by Madison Schultz
CRIME
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reshad Riddle appears in Ashtabula Municipal Court yesterday in Ashtabula, Ohio. Riddle went to the Hiawatha Church of God in Christ and killed his father, 52-year-old Richard Riddle, with a single shot from a handgun Sunday afternoon. Riddle is charged with aggravated murder and two weapons counts.
Ohio man fatally shoots father during Easter church service
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASHTUBALA, Ohio — Panicked witnesses to a fatal Easter service shooting in Ohio feared many might be killed as the victim's son approached theulpit, waving a handgun and yelling about God and Allah.
"Tragic as it is, it could have been so much worse," Rev. Steve Sargent, associate pastor of the Hlaiwatha Church of God in Christ in Ashtabula, said Monday as he pointed out where the gunman moved through the sanctuary.
Michael Wofford, 59, a worshipper who attended Sunday's service with his wife and two grandchildren, said he feared a shooting rampage after the gunman finished his spiel from the pulpit area.
"Is he going to just walk out of the church or is he going to start shooting people at random." Wofford asked in the church vestibule. "Sooner or later he's going to run out of words. It could have been much worse."
Police say Resh Riddle, 28, went to the church and killed his father, 53-year-old Richard Riddle, with a single shot from a handgun Sunday afternoon.
Riddle made rambling comments about God and said he wanted to be treated fairly. The judge agreed to appoint a public defender.
The suspect appeared Monday in Ashtabula Municipal Court with his ankles and wrists shackled.
The prosecutor asked for $1 million bail and, if he makes it, a psychiatric evaluation and 24-hour monitoring.
Ann Riddle, sister of the victim and aunt of the suspect, said later
the family knew of no possible motive.
"He seemed to be like he was deranged. I don't know if he was on something." Sargent said while arranging a group counseling session for traumatized church members.
Riddle, receiving friends at the family home, called her brother a loving and caring family member. "He was a devoted family member, he was always there for the family, He cared a lot about people," said Riddle, who declined to comment on other aspects of the case.
After shooting the victim, the gunman then walked down the side aisle of the church, decorated with lilies for Easter, and sent panicked worshippers crawling over blue padded pews, running for the doors and climbing out windows in adjacent rooms.
Associate Pastor Sean Adams told The (Ashtabula) Star Beacon newspaper that Reshad Riddle walked through the church, still holding the gun, and yelled that the killing was "the will of Allah. This is the will of God."
Some worshippers hid in a bathroom until police arrived, according audio of a 911 call made from the restroom. The female caller told a dispatcher shed seen the armed man, wearing black and red, walk across the yard quickly.
"My suspicion is that he may have been on something, some mind-altering chemical that caused him to act out like he did."
PAGE 3
"We can hear him. He's got a gun, and he's in there trying to preach," she says, pleading for police to come quickly while yelling is heard intermittently in the background. Officers arrived and apprehended the suspect within four minutes of her call.
"Witnesses at the scene said the shooter entered church and made some references to Allah, but we are not sure if that was a motive or if there was a family problem," Stell said. "There is no indication that the father and son had a bad relationship. Everyone thinks this was very surprising."
Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said the younger Riddle offered no motive for the shooting.
Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court records show he was arrested and charged with two counts of felonious assault, kidnapping, abduction and tampering with evidence in 2006.
Court records show Reshad Riddle has an extensive criminal record.
Records show that in 2007, Reshad Riddle was charged with felonious assault, and in 2009 he was charged with possession of drugs, tampering with evidence and possession of cocaine.
According to police reports, one of the felonious assault charges stemmed from an incident when Reshad Riddle allegedly attempted to cut his girlfriend's throat. Capt. Joseph Cellitti said the young woman's neck had been cut with a knife and she suffered bruising on her side and chest.
Church parishioners said Reshad Riddle was a member of the church as a child, but did not attend services regularly as an adult.
NATIONAL
More senators declare support for gay marriage
"No one would have thought twice about him being here with his family on Easter," Adams said. "His family (has) been members here for years and years."
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Monday that he favors gay marriage, the latest of several lawmakers to change positions on the issue now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Casey said he made the shift after reviewing the legal, public policy and civil rights questions involved and letters from Pennsylvania families.
"If two people of the same sex fall in love and want to marry, why would our government stand in the way?" Casey said. "At a time when many Americans lament a lack of commitment in our society between married men and women, why would we want less commitment and fewer strong marriage?"
In November, as Casey successfully sought a second term, he said he favored same-sex civil unions but did not take a position on same-sex marriage. He previously voted to let gays and lesbians serve openly in the military and to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"Elected public officials have an abiding obligation to refrain from demonizing and dividing people for partisan or political gain," Casey said. "Rather, Democrats and Republicans should come together and find areas of agreement to do what's best for the country, including lesbian and gay Americans."
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a
pair of cases that could dramatically alter the legal landscape for gay marriage.
One of the cases involves the Defense of Marriage of Act, which prevents legally married gay couples from receiving federal benefits available to others. Casey said he now wants to repeal the law, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996.
The executive director of Equality Pennsylvania, a political advocacy group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, said his members logged about 10,000 calls to Casey in recent weeks to urge him to make such an announcement.
"I hope it means for where the state is going is that people are truly starting to use the issue of marriage to understand why marriage equality is important but also in general how we treat gay citizens in Pennsylvania," executive director Ted Martin said.
Casey's announcement, Martin said, gives elected officials "the ability to look at these issues and understand you can come to a conclusion after thinking about them."
Several other Democratic senators who, like Casey, represent swing states, have recently made similar announcements.
Sen, Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, announced his support for gay marriage in states that choose to allow it, saying his stance began to change in 2011, when his college-age son told him he was gay.
In 1854 when Lawrence was founded, some of the other names considered were Yankee Town, New Boston and Wakarusa, the Kaw Indian word for "hip-dee" water.
- A 22-year-old female was arrested yesterday at the intersection of 15th and Harper Street under suspicion of driving with a suspended, revoked or cancelled license. A $100 bond was paid.
- A 22-year-old female was arrested yesterday on the 500 block of Eldridge under suspicion of operating a vehicle under influence, reckless driving and no insurance. A $700 bond was paid.
- A 26-year-old male was arrested Sunday on the 1900 block of 23rd Street under suspicion of criminal damage to property. A $250 bond was paid.
—Emily Donovan
POLICE REPORTS
- A 22-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 1100 block of Kasold Drive under suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia. A $600 bond was paid.
1814 W. 23rd Lawrence, KS
843-6000
Tuesday is DOUBLE Stamp Day
JOIN THE KU BL D DRIVE
APRIL 1ST - 5TH
For more information visit our Facebook page at KU Blood Drive