Sasaki v. Commonwealth

485 S.W.2d 897, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 146
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976)
DecidedOctober 6, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 485 S.W.2d 897 (Sasaki v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976) primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sasaki v. Commonwealth, 485 S.W.2d 897, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 146 (Ky. 1972).

Opinion

GARDNER, Commissioner.

Dr. Yasuo Sasaki was convicted of the crime of using an instrument with intent to procure the miscarriage of a pregnant woman, a violation of KRS 436.020(1), and his punishment was fixed at $1,000 fine and one year and nine months in the reformatory. We affirm.

Kathleen Iatrides, a divorcee with two children, upon belief that she was pregnant *899 consulted Dr. Sasaki, who confirmed her thoughts of pregnancy. As testified to by Mrs. Iatrides, Dr. Sasaki agreed to and did perform an abortion for a fee of $300. While Dr. Sasaki denied performing the abortion, he does not now raise the question of sufficiency of evidence to submit the case to the jury. His contentions are that the court erred in the selection of the jury and that the convicting statute is unconstitutional.

KRS 436.020 provides:

“(1) Any person who prescribes or administers to any pregnant woman or to any woman whom he has reason to believe pregnant, at any time during the period of gestation, any drug, medicine or other substance, or uses any instrument or other means, with the intent to procure the miscarriage of that woman, unless the miscarriage is necessary to preserve her life, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, and confined in the penitentiary for not less than one nor more than ten years.
“(2) If, by reason of any of the acts described in subsection (1) of this section, the miscarriage of the woman is procured and she does miscarry, causing the death of the unborn child, whether before or after quickening time, the person violating the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be confined in the penitentiary for not less than two nor more than twenty-one years.
“(3) In any prosecution under subsection (1) or (2) of this section, or under KRS 435.040, the consent of the woman to the performance of the operation or the administering of the drug, medicine or other substance shall be no defense, and she shall be a competent witness in the prosecution. For the purpose of testifying she shall not be considered an ac-' complice.”

The voir dire examination was rather lengthy and meticulous. Appellant persistently asked individual members of the jury panel if they were Catholics and because of that had such religious scruples against abortions that they might be prejudiced against appellant simply because he was being tried for an offense involving an abortion. Four of the panel stated categorically that they were against abortions. As one put it, “I don’t believe in abortions, period.” They were excused for cause. Two members offered the comment that, if appellant hadn’t performed the abortion he wouldn’t be on trial. They were excused for cause. Appellant of course does not complain of error regarding the members of the panel who were excused but he insists the judge was in error in refusing to let him interrogate the remaining jurors, and that if he had been permitted to cross-examine them it might have developed that they, like others who were excused, were so prejudiced against any person being tried on an abortion charge they could not be unbiased jurors.

After eleven jurors were selected and appellant had used all peremptory challenges except one, the court summoned the attorneys to chambers but the record does not disclose what transpired. Upon return to open court the following colloquy took place:

“MR. ALLISON: Your Honor, I want to get that of record, that you are taking away the voir dire.
BY THE COURT: Certainly. Let the record show that the Court has relieved counsel of all voir dire examination. The Court will conduct it. Draw a juror.”

The court then conducted the voir dire as follows:

“BY THE COURT: Mrs. Crow, you have heard all of the questions that have been propounded by the Court and the counsel ?
MRS. CROW: Yes.
*900 BY THE COURT: Do you have any bias or prejudice against the performance of an abortion, if there were one?
MRS. CROW: No.
BY THE COURT: And you will decide the case based on the evidence that is presented to you today ?
MRS. CROW: Yes, sir.
BY THE COURT: And the law that the Court gives you ?
MRS. CROW: Yes, sir.
BY THE COURT: You want to exercise a peremptory ?
MR. ALLISON: Yes, I do, Your Honor.
BY THE COURT: You’re excused. Draw another juror.”

Appellant insists that he was denied the right of examining jurors as guaranteed by RCr 9.38:

“Examination of Jurors. The court may permit the attorney for the Commonwealth and the defendant or his attorney to conduct the examination of prospective jurors or may itself conduct the examination. In the latter event the court shall permit the attorney for the Commonwealth and the defendant or his attorney to supplement the examination by such further inquiry as it deems proper. The court may itself submit to the prospective jurors such additional question submitted by the parties or their attorneys as it deems proper.”

The court is of the opinion that appellant did not properly preserve the error, if there was one. Whether the result of the in-chambers conference was that appellant agreed to the court’s handling the voir dire or whether appellant objected is not disclosed by the record. If there was an unfavorable ruling made in chambers, it was incumbent upon appellant to see to it that the proceedings were made a part of the record. We are of the opinion that appellant did not make known to the court the action which he desired the court to take nor his objection to the action of the court as required by RCr 9.22. In Blanton v. Commonwealth, Ky., 429 S.W.2d 407 (1968), where the defendant contended that the trial court’s comments concerning parole prevented him from having a fair trial, we held that the error was not properly preserved for appellate review where the only objection to the comments was, “Show my objection to the remarks regarding parole.”

It is also noted that the court’s conduct of the voir dire, though somewhat abbreviated, continued to cover essentially the same line of questioning used by appellant with prior jurors. Without any objection from appellant, it might well be assumed that the court’s questioning was satisfactory to appellant.

Appellant vigorously insists that KRS 436.020 is unconstitutional.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Wilfong v. Commonwealth
175 S.W.3d 84 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2004)
Cornelison v. Commonwealth
52 S.W.3d 570 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2001)
Brown v. Commonwealth
975 S.W.2d 922 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1998)
Caretenders, Inc. v. Commonwealth
821 S.W.2d 83 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1991)
Commonwealth v. Foley
798 S.W.2d 947 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1990)
Cruse v. Commonwealth
712 S.W.2d 356 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1986)
Hardin v. Commonwealth
573 S.W.2d 657 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1978)
Wethington v. Commonwealth
549 S.W.2d 530 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1977)
Sasaki v. Commonwealth
497 S.W.2d 713 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
485 S.W.2d 897, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sasaki-v-commonwealth-kyctapphigh-1972.