European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes tuesday june 21, 1977 High court rules states Don t have to fund abortions Over 250 judges reported fixing fickess for favors Washington up the supreme court ruled 6 to 3 monday that neither the Constitution nor the social Security Law re quires states to fund elective abortions for medicaid patients. The decision was a Victory for the Feder Al government which has taken the Posi Tion that the right to an abortion does not also imply a right to free treatment. President Carter opposes use of Federal funds for abortions. In cases from Pennsylvania and Connecticut Justice Lewis Powell said a state May make a policy Choice favouring Normal Congress passed the social Security act no therapeutic abortions were unlawful in most states a fact which undermines inc Contention that the Law makers intended to require rather than permit participating states to fund such abortions Powell does the slate policy impinge on the constitutional right established by the justices in 1973, when it struck Down state Laws forbidding abortions. Powell said in tire Connecticut said the state s regulation furthers its Strong and legitimate interest in encouraging Normal childbirth subsidizing of costs incident to child birth is a rational Means of encouraging childbirth Powell said and states have a wide latitude in choosing among competing demands for limited Public funds. Dissenters were Justice Harry Black Mun who wrote the 1973 opinion and justices William Brennan and Thurgood has barred use of Federal pay ments to the slates for this purpose and is coast during renewal of the ban. They have continued during court challenges. Varying degrees the 1973 decision said in the first Trimes Ter of pregnancy the decision to have a baby is up to a woman and her doctor. After thai stage states May engage in varying degrees of the Connecticut and Pennsylvania cases lower courts ruled in favor of Low income women who sought abortions under plans must meet various requirements to qualify for Federal Money but the Stales have considerable leeway in meeting their own individual needs. Penn Sylvania limits its medicaid to medically necessary services including abortions if the health of the Mother is threatened or if an infant May be bom mentally or physically impaired the suit was won by 11 indigent preg aint women in Pittsburgh on the basis of a conflict Between the state Law and the social Security Connecticut Case was brought in new Haven by five indigent women seek ing abortions although the stale Law per mits them Only if a doctor certifies the procedure is medically or psychiatric ally necessary. Also on monday the court let stand a decision that the los an Geles times can be sued for libel under a Wyoming Law despite the paper s tenuous links to the stale. Decided 5 to 4 that the Federal govern ment May give states the option of whether to pay welfare benefits to families of strik ing workers. Agreed to decide whether Tennessee u. Of mass prexy to quit Boston up Robert Wood former Secretary of the . Department of hous ing and Urban development has announced he will resign As president of the University of Massachusetts Jan. 1. May properly bar All clergymen from its 1977 constitutional convention. Refused to consider whether slates can prohibit White Foster parents from adopting a Black child. The court let stand a Georgia supreme court ruling that state officials have such Legal authority. Turned Down a request by six con Gressmen that it consider whether thearter administration can constitutionally give control of the Panama canal zone to Panama. A lower court had said the con Gressmen s suit intended to Block the action was not Ripe for review by the courts. New York up More than 250 judges across the state have been involved in the widespread fixing of traffic tick ets in Exchange for favors according to a 10-month investigation by the state com Mission on judicial evil of ticket fixing is that special influence becomes the essence of the Judi Cial determination the commission said in a report released sunday. The fixing of traffic tickets creates an illicit atmosphere within the courts which could easily carry Over to other far the commission said Only 38 out of the state s 62 counties have been re , its findings indicate that this abhorrent practice is widespread and that Only a Small fraction of it has been Ridenti no judges were named in the administrator Gerald Stem said the investigation is continuing. The panel has the Power to censure or suspend a judge for up to six months with out pay and can even initiate removal pro of the infractions were committed by town or Village justices the report said. These Are usually part time positions filled by people who Are not even lawyers. Judges in new York City. Buffalo and Rochester do not have jurisdiction Over traffic violations and thus were hot subject to the investigation. In these three cities separate administrative agencies Are responsible for both speeding and parking testimony before the commission one judge acknowledged granting More than 500 political favors the report said. Another judge agreed to suspend a Fine if he received sexual favors from a Friend of the defendant the commission said. The commission reported his Case to the local District attorney and the judge immediately resigned. Trans Alaska pipeline North slope Oil on move Prudhoe Bay Alaska up the Black Gold of Alaska s North slope began its Long awaited trip to the Ameri can consumer monitors watching every Inch of the 800-mile pipeline that took nine years and $9.9 billion to construct Oil began flow ing toward the ice free port of Valdez monday at the initial rate of 300.000 barrels a Day. It will take 3040 Days for the Oil oozing southward at 1.1 Miles per hour to reach Valdez on Alaska s South coast from where in will be shipped by tankers to West coast the year officials of the controversial project expect 12 million barrels a Day to be flowing through the pipeline sup plying about 15 per cent of America s Domestic crude Oil requirements. Epic Day for Alaska and . Photographers and reporters at prud Noe Bay take a close look at the pig the plug that started the Long awaited flow of Alaska s Black Gold through the pipeline ending at the Southern Ter minus in the port of Valdez. A at exactly 9 . Local time an eight foot Long Metal pig similar in shape to a huge bar Bell was pushed into the main pipeline inside pump station no. 1 on the Arctic Shore of the North slope. The pig follows nitrogen already in the pipeline and will be pushed along by Oil let in Oil flow was activated from the Alyeska operations control Center in Valdez 799 Miles away. Official government go ahead was granted to the Alyeska pipeline service co. Consortium sunday by the Interior department. The government said however it was prepared to halt operations if its Monitor ing teams find a danger to human life natural resources or the not perfect by approving Start up we Are not signifying that we believe this entire transportation system pipeline terminal and Marine Tanker routes is absolutely perfect under Secretary James Joseph said in do believe however that the National need for Oil from Arctic Alaska far outweighs the importance of any remain ing potential problems. A careful analysis of matters still unresolved has convinced me that this Oil transport system is Capa ble of operating safely and with minimum Adverse effects on the an unpretentious sign had been attached to the Tail end of the pig sunday when reporters saw a demonstration of the Start up process. It said the Start trans Alaska pipeline. Alyeska pipeline service restricted group Only essential Alyeska personnel and state and Federal monitors were allowed inside the pump station at the moment of Start up. The Oil flows from a total of about 140 Wells half controlled by Allan tic Richfield co. And half by British Petroleum of Alaska and Ohio. U flows into the Long line thai a Peak Force of More than 20,000 work ers etched across the Tundra to the Tanker port of Valdez Between april 1974 and may1377. A. Woman named to Post Washington a Henrietta Duncan Mcarthur. A former Bank executive in Atlanta has been named As Deputy assistant . Secretary of agriculture for world development
