Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 12 June 2019
University: Return of donor’s money ‘never’ about abortion

By BLAKE PATERSON any stage of pregnancy
Associated Press a crime punishable by 10
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — years to life in prison for
University of Alabama of- the provider, with no ex-
ficials have released a se- ceptions for rape or incest.
lection of emails to back up The law, set to take effect
their contention that their in November, is the most
decision to return a record hardline of the anti-abor-
$26.5 million donation had tion measures enacted this
nothing to do with the do- year as states emboldened
nor’s highly publicized call by the new conservatives
for a boycott in response to on the U.S. Supreme Court
the state’s new, near-total take aim at Roe v. Wade,
abortion ban. the 1973 ruling that legal-
Instead, the emails suggest ized abortion nationwide.
the relationship between Hours later, the university
the university and Hugh announced it was consid-
F. Culverhouse Jr. had al- ering giving Culverhouse
ready soured before he his money back after offi-
called the boycott, and cials said he repeated “nu-
the university was already merous demands about
moving to return his record the operations” of the law
donation before he spoke school. They emphatically
out. In this Sept. 20, 2018, file photo, Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr., who pledged a $26.5 million donation to denied the decision had
The university said Culver- the University of Alabama law school, speaks during an event in Tuscaloosa, Ala. anything to do with the
house Jr., a 70-year-old Associated Press abortion comments. The
Florida real estate investor society’s most emotional, Culverhouse said. “I spe- ufactured.” university did not elaborate
who pledged the record- divisive issues into the deci- cialize in white collar crimi- University spokeswoman any further until it released
setting gift in September, sion is especially distaste- nal work. I’ve seen these Kellee Reinhart said the the emails Sunday.
attempted to influence stu- ful.” kinds of documents before. university was “completely Culverhouse did not attend
dent admissions, scholar- Culverhouse, however, The minute I looked at it I comfortable allowing the Alabama, but his parents
ship awards, the hiring and said the emails selectively burst out laughing.” record to speak for itself” did, and the business school
firing of faculty and the released by the university According to the emails, on and had nothing else to bears the name of Hugh
employment status of the only tell part of the story, May 25 — four days before add. Culverhouse Sr., a wealthy
law school dean. adding that he believed Culverhouse called for the The matter erupted pub- tax lawyer and develop-
Culverhouse has said re- the issues raised in the boycott — Chancellor Finis licly on May 29 when Cul- er who owned the NFL’s
peatedly that the univer- emails had been resolved. St. John IV authorized a uni- verhouse urged the boy- Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
sity’s decision to return his He said he continues to be- versity lawyer to prepare an cott, saying: “I don’t want After the younger Culver-
money was retribution for lieve the university is lying outline of what needed to anybody to go to that law house’s record-setting do-
his call for a boycott of the about the motivation for be done to return the gift, school, especially women, nation the law school was
university over the restric- the decision and argued writing: “We need to do this until the state get its act to- renamed after him but his
tive abortion legislation. that at least one email in- immediately because it will gether.” name was stripped from
The university said it wanted cluded was “fabricated” only get worse.” He spoke after state law- the school Friday when the
to “set the record straight.” to appear as though uni- Culverhouse said he be- makers passed legisla- trustees also voted to return
“Our decision was never versity officials decided lieved this email was “man- tion making abortion at his money.q
about the issue of abor- to return his money earlier
tion,” read a statement re- than they claim.
leased Sunday alongside “There’s too much coin- U.S. judge: Construction on Obama
the emails. “The donor’s cidental and inconsistent
continuing effort to rewrite behavior for me to buy center should proceed
history by injecting one of anything Alabama says,”
By SOPHIA TAREEN
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Plans
to build Barack Obama’s
$500 million presidential
center in a lakefront Chi-
cago park can move for-
ward, a federal judge said
Tuesday, adding that a
written ruling dismissing a
park advocacy group’s
lawsuit would follow.
After hearing oral argu- In this May 3, 2017 file photo, former President Barack Obama
ments, U.S. District Judge speaks at a community event on the Presidential Center at the
John Robert Blakey said South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago.
there should be “no delay Associated Press
in construction.” — was supposed to open ed his political career and
The state-of-the-art center in 2021 in Jackson Park. It’s later lived with his family.
— to include a recording located along Lake Michi- But the lawsuit and a fed-
studio, classroom space gan and close to where eral review have delayed
and public library branch the former president start- plans. q