Roe v. Wade was decided 31 years ago, but the landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy remains a hot topic for candidates locally and nationally. And the debate doesn't stop there -- controversy is rife in issues such as sex-education curricula and public funding of contraception, with election candidates taking diverse stances on the issues.
U.S. Senate
Sen. Ron Wyden said he is "committed to fighting attempts to stack the court with anti-choice judges whose aim it is to overturn Roe v. Wade."
He said he wants to make abortion "rare through increased access to contraceptives, sex education and promotion of the adoption option."
He said he does not support partial birth abortion, except when necessary to save a woman's life or health, and he opposed the Bush Administration's decision to ban the procedure because it didn't include provisions for a woman's health.
On the other hand, Republican candidate Al King said he would approve a judicial nominee for the Supreme Court based on his or her ability to uphold the constitution and laws "promulgated by elected officials."
King said abstinence is an important part of sex education.
"We need to also have education regarding the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases for those who are not going to follow an abstinence program," he said.
The federal government should fund contraception for those who can't afford it to prevent the further spread of STDs, he said, adding that he believes abortions should only be performed in the case that three doctors, the biological parents of the unborn child, and any other concerned party agrees that the procedure is necessary because the life of the mother is in danger. He added that he supports the Bush Administration's bill to ban partial birth abortion, which he called "murder."
Representative in U.S. Congress, 4th District Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio said abstinence-only sex education has "limited utility."
"There's a range of other people that need a broader approach about responsible sexual activity," he said, adding that if a parent or student objected to sex education, he or she should be excused.
He said emergency contraception should be made available over the counter but only within the tenets the Food and Drug Administration sets.
DeFazio said he supports a woman's right to choose so that women won't seek dangerous "backroom abortions" that put them at risk for death or injury, but added that the federal funding to assist women in obtaining abortions should be available only in "limited circumstances."
"The only availability would be through state Medicaid plans, and state Medicaid plans would limit the availability to medical necessity," he said. DeFazio said he disagrees with the Bush Administration's bill to ban partial birth abortion because it doesn't provide exceptions for the life and health of the mother.
Republican Candidate Jim Feldkamp said that "all manners of sex education should be allowed," but that sex education should be limited according to the age level of the student. He said he does not support federal funding of contraception, even under federal employee health plans because "the federal government shouldn't be funding that stuff."
Feldkamp said he "wants to see the abortion level descend to zero," and that he's opposed to using abortions as a form of birth control.
"For the health of the mother, I'm not going to interfere with the right to choose," he said.
Furthermore, Feldkamp is against the federal funding of abortions, and supports parental notification for minors. He said he supports the Bush Administration's bill to ban partial birth abortion because "technology is so far advanced you don't need to use such a grisly procedure."
State Senate, 4th District
Democratic State Sen. Floyd Prozanski said he feels sex education needs to be "very broad-based" and should include education on contraception as well as encourage abstinence. Prozanski said he believes the state should fund contraception for low-income individuals through programs like the Family Planning Expansion Project because access to contraception should not be based on an individual's ability to pay. He said he would support making emergency contraception available over the counter if individuals received good information about the drug.
He added he supports a woman's right to choose to have an abortion but emphasized the importance of women having proper support networks to advise them in making the decisions. He also supports state funding to assist a woman in obtaining an abortion under the Oregon Health Plan.
Republican state Senate candidate Norm Thomas said, "If the family is teaching (sex education) as they should, I don't think the school needs to teach it."
He said he does not support state funding of contraception and feels that contraception should be "left up to the family." He added, "It's just encouraging things that should not be encouraged." He also said he does not support making emergency contraception available over the counter, saying unwanted pregnancies would not occur "if the families are teaching the proper values."
Thomas said he doesn't feel he has "the right to choose for women what they want to do with their bodies.". He does not support state funding to assist women in obtaining abortions because he said people should start "accepting personal responsibility." He added that he felt late-term and partial birth abortions "are appalling" and supports the Bush Administration's bill to ban them.
State Representative, District 8
Democratic State Representative Paul Holvey called abstinence-only sex education "archaic," and said that information on contraception should be included in sex education.
Holvey said he supported state funding of contraception through programs such as FPEP, citing that "as with all preventative health care, I think it's a good investment." He said he thinks emergency contraception should be made available because many cannot afford to see a doctor to obtain a prescription.
Holvey said it should be a woman's choice to have an abortion.
"I think that's a personal decision and a philosophical decision that should be made by the individual." He also said he doesn't believe minors should have to obtain parental consent to get an abortion. Holvey added he supports state funding that assists women in obtaining abortions. He doesn't think "we should limit the ability of that individual to have a procedure."
moriahbalingit@dailyemerald.com
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