Thank you!

With its twists and turns, the 2010 legislative session came to its end. We would like to give a special thanks to our senators and representatives for taking time to speak out on our behalf. We realize that taking part in the session is time consuming and of course mentally and physically exhausting. Thanks for your contributions and efforts to make our communities a better place to live in.

The legislative session was a great learning experience for the students of West High School. We went through the process with our friend and mentor Dr. Matt Bradley and the help of various students from the U of U. They were very accessible to all of our needs and we all greatly appreciate that.

Of course, the session had its ups and downs. Negative comments were said, although they didn't affect our judgment towards our opinions and the legislative law. We remain MAA!

Miscarriage/abortion murder bill passes, by Alexis Clover (West High School)

A bill sponsored by Representative Carl Wimmer that passed amends the Utah Criminal Code to describe the difference between abortion and criminal homicide of an unborn child and to make it possible to put a woman on trial for killing an unborn child. This bill was created in response to the Utah case that happened in May 2009 when a 17-year-old girl paid $150 for a man to beat her while she was seven months pregnant. People worried about the original bill because, for example, if a pregnant woman falls and miscarries, she could have been put on trial. The bill was amended so that an abortion means that the woman either has to be prescribed a prescription by the doctor to abort the fetus or she has to go to a physician to abort the fetus through surgery. The definition of criminal homicide of an unborn child says that the woman has followed through with a reckless act with the intentions of terminating the fetus.

The government affairs director for the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Marina Lowe told The Salt Lake Tribune, "I also don't think it solves the underlying problem. The question we need to be asking ourselves as Utahns is how did we get here in the first place." I couldn’t agree with her more in the fact that this bill is not doing anything to prevent pregnancy. I think that we need to be more proactive and work more on preventing these issues. To me going about it this way is harder and definitely a longer process, rather than focusing on contraception. If women, especially teenagers had easier access to contraception like birth control this wouldn’t be a problem. However, the governor signed the bill on March 8, 2010, after the House of Representatives and the Senate passed it.

Health Care for Children of Legal Immigrants defeated in Senate, by Sindy Curiel (West High School)

An uninsured family tried a series of home remedies to help their sick daughter without having to pay high medical costs. When they finally took their daughter to the emergency room at Primary Children's Medical Center, they were told that the problem was severe and that she could possibly lose her leg. After massive surgery and treatment, the leg was saved. Treating the leg sooner would have been a lot easier and a lot less costly if the girl had access to insurance and a primary physician.
Senator Luz Robles sponsored a bill during the recent legislative session that would have given healthcare to legal immigrant children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. The bill didn't make it out of the Senate, even though it would help families who are living in the U.S. legally. "This is truly not an immigration issue," Senator Robles. "This is a healthcare issue and these families are playing by the rules." Physician Charles Pruitt also spoke at a Senate hearing in support of the bill, and said, "I see firsthand the results of failure to support financially our children of Utah."
Because the bill did not pass, there are a lot of children that need medical attention but can't get the help they need. I believe that the reason this bill did not pass was because Luz Robles is known to help immigrants and people automatically just assumed that was the issue she was going for. Everyone needs to recognize that we are all humans that deserve every right to get the medical help that we need.

Rally At The Capitol Steps (Nelson Medina & Adriana Rodriguez)

Positive and hopeful were the emotions that one man had when I spoke to him in the crowd of people wearing “STOP HJR24” t-shirts. The large number of community members and students who decided to gather on the steps of the Capitol building on Thursday showed that people are aware of what is happening on the Hill and how the decisions of lawmakers affect our communities.

The rally, “Still We Rise,” was titled after an inspirational poem by Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise,” to show that our communities are strong and full of bright minds and culture, in spite of how the some legislators portray us. Not all of us are delinquent troublemakers. Asaeli Matelau, a member of the Brown Berets and one of the organizers of the rally, spoke out on how difficult it is already for people of ethnic backgrounds to reach higher education. Matelau said that it was hard enough for him to make it to college, but on top of that, this bill would make it even harder by limiting resources for those who need additional funds so that they can obtain a better education. HJR24 would have affected any program that receives funding from the state that is directed towards youth of color, any program that is gender-specific or that helps underrepresented groups. The bill died at the end of the session because Rep. Curtis Oda (R-Clearfield) didn’t have enough votes to pass the constitutional amendment.

At the beginning of the event, the Brown Beret leaders unrolled The Student Bill of Rights--a Bill of Rights that high school and college students worked together to create. A Bill of Rights that stretched from the top of the Capitol building stairs all the way to the bottom where anyone and everyone could sign their names. By signing the Bill of Rights, people showed that they are supporting a positive future for all youth.

Apart from the Bill of Rights, everyone enjoyed watching the different dance performances. The diversity of culture made the performances even better. Along with the dances, community members performed at the top of the stairs. They played instruments and sang beautiful songs that fit our cause.



Lastly, young poets expressed themselves through their art of writing. Poems and spoken word pieces were shared by many during the open mic, and the opportunity was given to say anything anybody felt like they wanted to say. One person who spoke strongly was Jarred Martinez, who is also a leader of the brown Berets and an organizer of the Rally.

Along with Rep. David Litvack (D-Salt Lake City), many people were pleased to hear that HJR24 would most likely go no further in this legislative session. Because of the lack of vote for HJR24, the bill remained circled and died. Litvack told me he believes that it is possible that this bill will come back next year and that this debate is not over. The difference will come in the November elections when the newly elected officials take office.

This fight could go either way next year but this peaceful gathering shows that our communities are involved and are capable of coming together to show our concerns. Although HJR24 failed this year, we must stay unified for next year so that again we will rise.

Vote Possible for Anti-Affirmative Action Bill Today

Representative Curtis Oda (R-Clearfield) is likely to bring up House Joint Resolution 24 today--the last day of the legislative session. HJR24 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate affirmative action in state bodies such as public schools and universities. Many community and student groups oppose this resolution because it would target any program or scholarship that relies on state funding to support ethnic groups, women and any underrepresented group.
University of Utah professor and community advocate Theresa Martinez said that she finds this "a very disturbing piece of legislation." Along with a coalition that opposes the bill, she thinks it would be harmful because it would affect public funding for specific ethnic groups, such as the Spanish language anti-tobacco campaign and the breast cancer awareness campaign directed at American Indians. If the bill passed it would also impact gender-specific programs that receive state money to operate, like the Womens Resource Center at the University of Utah. Dr. Martinez said that she would hate to see these incredible programs jeopardized.
There will be a student rally opposing the bill and recognizing student rights today at the Capitol from 3-5 p.m. At this time, students will unveil a Student Bill of Rights.

Sex Education Bill Stalls in Committee, by Nelson Medina

Are teachers telling their students everything they need to know about sex?

Some people believe that teaching students abstinence is the answer. Others think that students should know that facts--they do not think that telling students that they should wait until marriage to have sexual intercourse is effective. Students are not always informed about being safe and using contraceptives, and because of that, Utah has high rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, which are usually transmitted during sex.

So, is the answer to make contraceptives a required part of the Utah reproductive education curriculum? That is what Senate Bill 54 suggested before reaching a standstill in committee, without even a vote. This bill, titled "Health Education Amendments," would modify the requirements in health classes. A general discussion of contraceptives with its benefits and limitations would be included in selected instructional materials about human reproduction. But some people thought this would liberalize the system, reported The Salt Lake Tribune.

Bill sponsor Senator Stephen H. Urquhart (R-St. George) told me that he thinks the committee didn’t fully understand the bill. He said fear and uncertainty were getting in the way of some legislators even being able to talk about the bill. His reason for sponsoring the bill was for the benefit of clarifying the health education curriculum. Previously, Sen. Urquhart had been involved in the Expedited Partner Therapy Treatment bill, which really opened his eyes to how much disease there is in Utah. He said he thought Utah was doing something wrong in health education. Sen. Urquhart found out that not all teachers teach contraceptives because they think it is illegal. His goal with SB54 was to clarify the curriculum and unify what is taught in the classrooms.

I also spoke with Emma Waitzman, a senior at my school, West High. She is very involved in the process at the legislature and lobbying for better sex education. Emma believes that students have the right to learn about sex. She was surprised when speaking to different people at the committee hearing of SB54 because of how uninformed they were. Emma told me that some people said things that were completely untrue about the bill because they were ignorant and did not take the time to understand what the bill would really do for students. Emma and group members are holding a protest on Saturday, March 6, to speak out on this issue.

A similar bill to SB54 is HB127 sponsored by Representative Lynn N. Hemingway (D-Salt Lake) but the bill has not even been assigned to a committee. Although there's only about a week left of the session, we hope this bill makes it through.