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Show Friday, The Daily Utah Chroakle Tattoo Bill' May Engrave Age Limits in Utah DAVID ANDERSON Chronicle Staff Writer In an eerie coincidence with Salt Lake's dismal weather of late, there is a storm cloud brewing over the Utah State Capitol about the issue of whether young adults are old enough to make a responsible decision about permanendy adorning their bodies. State Sen. Charles Stewart of Provo plans to introduce a bill that would make it a third degree felony to tattoo an underage individual without written consent from his or her parents. Stewart is still considering whether the proposed legal tattooing age will be 18 or 21. The legislation is still in the draft phase, but tattoo shop owners are definitely concerned about its potential impact. "Stewart's entire basis for this bill is that he is legislating regret," said Mic Radford, owner of Southern Thunder Tattoos in Salt Lake. "He wants to protect people from themselves." Stewart is a practicing plastic surgeon. He said that his reason for introducing the bill is not to limit individual rights, but to prevent the tragic situation of young adults for whom the tattoo has become an onerous burden. "I see people who are now 21, who are adults, who got the tattoos when they were minors,, and now realize what a mistake if was," Stewart said. "They would give anything to go back and reverse their decision." Stewart argues that a tattoo can have huge repercussions on an individual if he or she decides that it is no longer cool. The process of removing tattoos is uncomfortable, as well, and can leave scars. "Get a removable tattoo, and you can change it every single week," he said. "The people I see are the whq are unable to cover their tattoos, who can't wear dark enough stockings and nylons, or long enough sleeves or high enough collars. I'm not just talking about big tattoos, but also the darling little flowers and snakes. Every kind." But according to Radford, the tattoo industry already regulates itself The tattoo parlors in Salt Lake are all agreed, he said, in refusing to tattoo anyone under 16 unless the new tattoo covers a hate tattoo that a may have applied, and only then with written parental permission. Radford believes that at age 18, an individual is fully able to make decisions that .have a permanent effect. He sees irony in the fact that can go to prison as adults, vote in presidential elections, enter into contracts, and buy a house without parental permission. suffi-ciend- Ml DANCE Through Jan 20: Modern Dance Graduate Concert. 7:30 Christensen p.m. Theatre. Info: 581-326- Every Monday: International Folk Dancing. p.m. East Ballroom 7:30-1- 0 Union. Free. 7:30 to 8:30 instructions. No partner needed. EXHIBITS Through Jan. 19: Specific Objects by Michael Smith. Union Gallery. Through Jan. 31: Mixed Media by Matt Hassing in hospital Hallsidc Gallery. Feb. 4: Through TRACES: The Confluence of Nature and Humanity. UMNH photo exhibit. Call 581-692- Through March 1: Ute Beadwork. UMNH lobby display. Call 31: An Jan. 581-692- Exhibition Celebrating the Utah Centennial: Images of the Great Salt Lake. Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Chronica Photo Jeff Beckstrand Ouch! Lacey Thompson of "Susie's M. Gallery," gives Melanie Minims a wreath tattoo around her ankle. A senator from Utah County plans to introduce a bill that would make tattoos a rare item among the underage. "When I was LECTURESCLASSES Jan. 19: Equal Marriage Same-Se- x for Rights Couples. Noon to 1 p.m. Moot Court Room. Bennion Wednesdays Center orientations for : those interested in volunteering. 12:30 p.m. 101 Union. 18," he said, "I was in . the army. I was supporting myself, I was making my own decisions and my own life choices. And I was also bearing the consequences for those life choices, which allowed me to grow. I believe that people today are just as capable and ' intelligent as I was." Heather Beck got a tattoo on her 18th birthday. She said she had been thinking about it ever since she was 14, and had even designed the tattoo herself. She feels that a tattoo is a natural form of Hers is a small ankle that incorpoaround her ringlet g rates a symbol. "It's something you can do on your own," she said. "If you go into a tattoo parlor and are looking at a picture on the wall, there's always one that you see, the one that you would like to have people see me as. It lets me express THE MOST INTENSIVE COURSE FOR THE 581-481- 23: Jan. Visionary Wilderness. 4:30 p.m. Orson Spencer Hall auditorium. Jan.., 23 100 Years of : Caitholicisirf in tJtah; fa Columbia Review INTENSIVE MCAT PREPARATION yin-yan- I I iUUi fMMr MUt HHr DIM III. lI yi a.m. 255 Orson Spencer Hall. Jan. 24: U.S. Interest and the Future of the Gulf. 1 1 a.m. 255 Orson Spencer Hall. Jan. 25: Modern Day the to Challenges Realization of the Promise of America. 11 a.m. 255 Orson Spencer Hall. Jan. 25: Looking for the in Mesolithic Chinese Ninxia, Northern China. 2:15 p.m. 214 Stewart Building. Jan. 26: University Disc Golf Club first meeting. 6 p.m. 324 Union. Call 582 1915 after 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays or myself." Sen. Stewart agrees that adults should be responsible for their own tec "Tattoos" on page 4 Shanc.llcrgni.cc.utah.cdu. Jan. 29: Poetry Night. WhacEring from page 2 Watson said he drafted the legislation after the woman mayor of Virgin, Utah, was assaulted by David Dewitt, 45, who had been prosecuted by the city for refusing to clean up his yard. Washington County prosecutors tried to- charge DeWitt under the WANT TO STOP RISING TUITION? join College Students From All Over the State at a - i official statute, but were foiled by a Utah attorney general's opinion stating that the assault-on-a-publ- ic 1983 law applied only to statewide elected officials, DeWitt was convicted of misde- c mcanor assault for punching Mayor ' Joy Henderlidcr. She suffered bruises l and abrasions: , r "I've served at all levels of gov- crnmcnt," Watson said. "And" I'm not in as much danger of having my a legislator) as ; lights punched out (as the city officials responsible for everything from dog catchers to power outages. These arc emotional issues." ' . His bill is endorsed by the League i' of Cities and Towns. "BTOENT RALLY 1 for T u I t I ) . I ' MIKE CARTER Associated Press Writer Free admission. Refreshments provided. Call 585-463- SPORTS 19: Women's Jan. Basketball vs. Brigham Young University. 7 p.m. Huntsman Center. THEATER Through Jan 27: The Piano Lesson presented by Pioneer Theatre company. Call o n F r e e z e January 19 12:00 pm Utah State Capital Rotunda and wear U of U paraphernalia 581-696- 1 for times and prices. 18: Jan. Measure. Call prices, 581-696- I . , 8 p.m. Van Cott Hall. Open forum. Bring a poem to share. Measure for Babcock Theatre. for times and 1 v MISCELLANEOUS Jan. 20: ASUU sponsors Saturday Night Out Child Care Program. For kids ages Early p.m. Childhood Education Center East U. Village. Call to register. International Association of Near Death Studies meets on the second Thursday of each month. Call Elanc Durham at 2-- 0 585-589- 7 , 268-904- |