Forty Years Ago This Week: Amid national debate on the nature of life and conception and President Reagan’s ardent stance that “life begins with conception,” Rep. Bob Stephenson, R-Colorado Springs, introduced legislation that would change the definition of a child in the Colorado Children’s Code to “a person from the time of conception to 18 years of age.”

Another bill proposed by Stephenson would add the phrase “or fetus” to the section of the homicide statute which defines a person. If the measures became law, abortion in Colorado would not only be illegal but offenders would be charged with homicide.

Political activist Walt Kinderman spoke with The Colorado Statesman and voiced his concern that the country was arguing the wrong issue.

“The question is not to determine when life begins – that will never be resolved to anyone’s satisfaction,” Kinderman said. “The question is: what are the rights of the individual? Does government have the right to require that a woman – who becomes pregnant under any circumstances – carry her child to full termination of her pregnancy?”

Kinderman mused that since it wouldn’t be the wealthy and the connected who would suffer but the poor, it did government have the right to pass those laws?

Stephenson’s bills unleashed a flurry of letters to the editor. Sandra Walters, from Englewood, voiced the concerns of many.

“Would Rep. Stephenson prefer that we go back to an age when women receive abortions from back alley butchers, thereby risking their health and their very lives?”

Twenty Years Ago: Denver Mayor Wellington Webb made a few last minute arrangements before he left the city on a trade mission to China. During the 10-day trip it was announced that city Manager of General Services Tom Migaki would serve as acting Mayor and would become the first Asian-American to serve in that capacity in Denver.

Deputy Mayor Stephanie Foote was unable to serve as she was on vacation and City Council President Ramona Martinez chose to “resign,” effectively suspending her post during the duration of Webb’s trip so that Migaki could serve.

Migaki, who’d been appointed to the general services post in 1999 and had worked for the city since 1986, said he was honored to have been chosen by Webb.

In other news, U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette and Mark Udall each hired attorneys before the start of the congressional redistricting process. Udall hired the firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber and DeGette chose Denver attorney Edwin Kahn of Kelly, Haglud, Garnsey & Kahn.

DeGette and Udall both stated that it was only a defensive measure in the event that the Colorado General Assembly was unable to come up with “agreeable new boundaries” and it became necessary for the courts to intervene.

In still other news from the week, Rep. Alice Borodkin, D-Denver, introduced a measure on the House floor which would designate March as Women in Politics Month.

“Colorado is the second state in the nation for its number of women in the Legislature,” Borodkin said. “That’s something we should celebrate. And we should use that achievement to encourage more women to become involved.”

Thirty-five percent of the legislature (24 Representatives and 11 Senators) were women. Supporters of Borodkin’s resolution, HR 01-1018, said it was important that more women be encouraged to choose politics as a career and begin their involvement early.

“We’ve made great inroads as women into the world of politics, but we still have a long way to go,” Rep. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said. “Women are still much less likely to seek political office than men, but we all benefit from more balanced representation.”

HR 01-1018 passed the House on preliminary approval.

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Colorado Springs Gazette.