NARAL Pro-Choice New York Endorses Spitzer In Democratic Gubernatorial Campaign; Candidates Spar Over Abortion

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 16 Feb 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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NARAL Pro-Choice New York on Thursday endorsed New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) in his campaign for governor and criticized Nassau County, N.Y., Executive Thomas Suozzi (D), a possible gubernatorial candidate, for his stance on late-term abortions, Long Island Newsday reports. At an event in New York City to announce the endorsement, NARAL Pro-Choice New York President Kelli Conlin also criticized Suozzi for not being "a trustworthy candidate." She said that Suozzi is "trying to have it both ways" with a recent proposal to provide $909,000 in Nassau County funds to eight groups providing adoption services, housing services for single pregnant women and sex education, including abstinence education (Cockfield, Long Island Newsday, 2/10). Suozzi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, in May 2005 proposed a three-year, $3 million program to reduce the number of abortions in the county, saying he hopes the proposal can "bring together opposing sides" to create a "world with fewer abortions" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/8). Spitzer said the abortion-rights debate should not be "about tinkering with a point here or there or shading an argument to placate one crowd or another." Although Spitzer did not mention Suozzi by name, his statement appeared to be a challenge to the county executive's new proposal, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. However, Spitzer said that he had not had time to appraise Suozzi's proposal and declined to comment on it. In response to Spitzer's comments, Suozzi in a statement on Thursday said, "Eliot and I agree abortion should remain safe and legal," adding, "The difference to me is governing is not about chasing endorsements and headlines but about bringing everyone together, not just those who agree, to solve problems" (Fouhy, AP/Long Island Newsday, 2/9).

Position on "Partial-Birth" Abortion
Spitzer in a speech at New York Law School on Thursday expressed his support for "the right of a woman and her doctor to consider all necessary and appropriate options, including, as a last resort, late-term abortion when her life or health is at risk." Suozzi has said he supports a ban without exceptions on so-called "partial-birth" abortion and that he believes there are late-term procedures "not as unnecessarily violent as partial-birth" procedures, the New York Times reports. Conlin said of Suozzi's position, "I've never heard of anyone saying he would oppose a health exception for so-called partial-birth abortion but support a health exception for late-term abortions," adding, "It makes no sense." Ryan Toohey, Spitzer's campaign manager, in an interview said, "We dispute the fact that partial-birth abortion is a medically recognized procedure" (Healy, New York Times, 2/10).

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