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Supporters of Dole
Focus on Precedent
By Taena Kim
Staff Writer
Elizabeth Dole’s supporters are focus
ing on the doors the presidential candi
date opened during her short-lived cam
paign, not the ones closed when she
recendy withdrew from the race due to
financial difficulties.
Women leaders say Dole, who with
drew from the race last week, has set a
precedent for other women politicians.
“I think any sense of disappointment
vanishes when you look at the good
she’s done for women,” said David
Manns, a spokesman for Dole.
He said Dole was the most promising
female candidate to run for president.
Marilyn Bero, president of the Board
of Directors for the National Women’s
Hall of Fame, said it was disappointing
to lose a candidate due to finances. “It
had to do with looking at the fact that
Bush and Forbes had unlimited amounts
of resources to campaign,” she said.
But the Women’s Hall of Fame was
impressed with the road Dole had
helped pave for women in politics, Bero
said. “The way she conducted herself
was extraordinary,” she said. “(Other
women politicians) can learn that it is
possible to run for higher offices.”
Dole’s bid for president illustrated the
need for proportional representation of
women in the government, Bero said.
“Women need to run for higher office
for change to be made,” she said.
Political science Professor Thad Beyle
also said Dole had set a positive prece
dent for women. “I think she’s been the
most serious candidate for the presiden
Regulation
To Protect
Patients
President Clinton said he
plans to issue an executive
order protecting the privacy
rights of medical patients.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President
Clinton plans to issue an executive
order Friday proposing new regulations
to strengthen privacy protections for
electronic health and medical informa
tion, administration officials said.
The proposed regulations would
limit the use and release of private
health information transmitted or main
tained by computers. It comes after
Congress failed to meet a self-imposed
Aug. 21 deadline for legislating new
protections.
“I will use the full authority of this
office to create the first comprehensive
national standards for the protection of
medical records,” Clinton said in a pre
pared statement.
“The new rule I’m proposing would
apply to all electronic medical records
and to all health plans. It represents an
unprecedented step toward putting
Americans back in control of their own
medical records,” he said.
An existing patchwork of state laws
protects medical privacy, but the pro
tections vary widely. Currently, there
are no federal guarantees that private
information won’t be passed to employ
ers, sold to pharmaceutical companies
or talked about in insurance company
offices.
The new federal rules would go
beyond the weaker protections of some
states, but would not override those
with more restrictive laws.
The rules would apply only to elec
tronic information, including computer
records that have been copied to paper.
Medical records that have existed only
on paper are not covered.
Under the proposal, a patient’s infor
mation would not be released by doc
tors, hospitals or health plans for pur
poses unrelated to treatment and pay
ment without written consent. Private
information can now be released to
financial institutions, direct marketing
firms and others without a patient’s
knowledge or consent.
When required to release medical
information, health organizations would
have to limit the disclosure to the mini
mum necessary for each case instead of
a patient’s entire record. For example,
when paying for medical services, no
treatment information would be sent to
banks or credit card companies.
The proposal would create new civil
and criminal penalties for improperly
disclosing patient information.
Intentionally releasing information
would be punished with up to a $50,000
fine and one year in jail. Someone try
ing to sell information could face a
$250,000 fine and 10 years in prison.
tial race,” Beyle said. “She may have
opened up the road a bit.”
With Dole out of the race, her sup
porters are now faced with the hard
decision of who to support.
Political science Professor Jeffrey
Obler said Dole’s supporters would
probably give their votes to Bush.
“They will not vote for Steve Forbes
or John McCain,” Obler said. “I think
George W. Bush ... is emphasizing com
passionate conservatism.
“I am speculating that if Dole stayed
in the race, she would attract more
female voters, and they would like
Bush’s slogan.”
Because Dole abandoned her bid for
the Republican nomination, some polit
ical experts have speculated that she
might make a play for the vice presi
dency as George W. Bush.’s running
mate. “I think it’s a possibility,” Obler
said. “She is certainly an attractive can
didate.”
Obler said Dole was a possibility if
the Republicans wanted to close the
gender gap that had occurred over the
past several years.
But Manns said rumors of Dole run
ning as a vice presidential candidate
were premature speculation.
“She hasn’t thought about that,” he
said. “She was running for president”
Despite leaving the race early, Manns
said Dole had enjoyed her run for the
Republican nomination.
“She’s forever changed the race by
bringing new people.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
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Carrboro Voter Turnout Uncertain
By Jenny Rosser
Staff Writer
With local elections days away, can
didates for the Carrboro Board of
Aldermen say they hope the uncontest
ed race will not discourage voters from
coming out to the
polls.
Carrboro’s elec
tion is unique this
year because all
three candidates
seeking an alder
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man position - Joal Broun, Alex Zaffron
and Mark Dorosin - are running unop
posed. Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson is
also up for re-election and running
uncontested.
Carolyn Thomas, a member of the
Orange County Board of Elections, said
although there might be a slight drop in
Euthanasia Bill Divides Representatives
By Brent Kinker
Staff Writer
A bill passed this week by the U.S.
House of Representatives attempted to
clarify the federal government’s stance
on euthanasia.
The Pain Relief Promotion Act,
which was passed Wednesday in a 271-
156 vote, would place major ramifica
tions on doctor-assisted suicide.
Euthanasia would remain illegal
under the bill, while allowing physicians
to apply whatever medicine necessary to
relieve a patient’s suffering.
The bill would give doctors the right
Newsw
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voter turnout, she
did not expect a
significant
decrease.
Carrboro resi
dent Margaret
Andrews, of 207
Lorraine St., said
she was not sure
about how the
uncontested elec
tions would influ
ence her decision
to vote.
“I guess I’ll
vote, but I need to
think about it,”
she said.
Alderman
Jacquelyn Gist
said she was
impressed with this
year's candidates
for office.
In contrast, Harold Marks, of 605
Jones Ferry Road, said he would not
vote. “It is a rather dull world in
Carrboro,” he said.
to use whatever measures necessary to
keep patients from enduring pain even
if it potentially hastens death, said Mike
Schwartz, a press representative for Rep.
Tom Cobum, R-OK.
But doctors would not be allowed to
use the medication to intentionally kill
someone, Schwartz said.
“We’ve freed doctors to do what they
should do,” he said. “Killing people is
not what they are for.”
Schwartz said the bill’s major oppo
sition came from Oregon, the only state
where assisted suicide is currendy legal.
No representatives or senators from
Oregon could be reached for comment.
Dorosin said because voting was so
important, he hoped people would not
be deterred. “Voting is a responsibility
that people should be excited to exer
cise,” he said. “However, voter turnout
will probably be lower than normal, and
that saddens me.”
Dorosin said he was mnning a low
level campaign because he was uncon
tested. “I’m still trying to walk around
neighborhoods and talk to voters, but
the campaign is far reduced than it
would be in a contested election.”
Zaffron said by voting people were
able to show candidates what issues they
were interested in. “By voting we as can
didates are able to see what ideas and
concepts resonate with people, and this
gives the board guidance,” he said.
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said this
year’s elections were important because
the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board
Other Congressmen opposing the bill
said it was inappropriate for the govern
ment to interfere in the issue.
“It’s a tough issue morally, helping
someone kill themselves,” said Mike
Slackman, press representative for Rep.
Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii. “The fed
eral government intruding in this is not
the way to go.”
Slackman said the public should fur
ther discuss the issues behind the bill.
“There’s just not enough of a consen
sus on it yet,” he said. “We’d like to see
the public debate it further.”
But legislation currendy in place reg
ulates the government’s role in control
Friday, October 29, 1999
was holding contested elections.
“These elections are important,
because they will have an impact on
educating our children,” she said. “ In
addition, because the schools have such
a large budget, they have a lot to do with
tax rates.”
Broun said she also hoped voters
would remember the importance of
school board elections.
Dorosin said Carrboro’s elections
should not be viewed as a lack of enthu
siasm for local politics.
“Carrboro’s uncontested elections are
not the result of people being apathetic,”
he said. “I think it is a sign that people
are pleased with the way things are
going, and they should come out and
show it.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.
ling painkillers. “These are federally
controlled substances,” Schwartz said.
“(Physicians) are responsible to the Drug
Enforcement Agency who monitors the
use of these drugs.”
Rep. Mike Mclntyre, D-NC, said he
also approved of the bill’s moral stance.
“We should honor life,” Mclntyre
said. “I don’t think we want to go down
the slippery slope of euthanasia and
assisted suicide. It follows the funda
mental legal position of ‘thou shall not
kill.’”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
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