Election pushes divisive abortion issue to forefront

The firestorm of criticism that greeted President Clinton's April veto of a bill banning late-term abortions served as another reminder of the divisiveness involved in the abortion issue. The bill would have outlawed a procedure, known as a "partial-birth" abortion, used to terminate a pregnancy in its late stages, usually to protect the life of the mother or when the fetus shows signs of extreme abnormality. Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole attacked Clinton for failing "to demonstrate there are any abortions, under any circumstances, he would not support." At the same time, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) attacked Democrats for "turning a blind eye to an atrocity" during a failed Republican attempt to override the veto. Clinton -- who described the procedure as "potentially life-saving, certainly health-saving" -- said he vetoed the ban because it did not include exemptions for women whose health is seriously threatened by bringing the fetus to term. The controversy is just part of the larger debate over abortion itself, which has divided the country more deeply than perhaps any other issue. And although the Supreme Court affirmed the legal right to abortions in 1973's historic Roe v. Wade decision, the political debate shows no signs of abating. While national opposition to abortion -- organized mainly by political conservatives and the religious right -- has used aggressive tactics against abortion clinics and doctors, pro-life activists on campus have chosen a low-key approach. "Being for or against abortion is more than just a single issue," explained College junior Catherine Hardy, president of Penn Pro-Life. "It means a difference in world-view, a difference in how you see human life." Many Democrats support unrestricted abortion rights as a matter of basic civil rights for women and argue that government funds should be used to help poor women gain access to the procedure. The divisions within the Republican Party itself over the issue, on the other hand, came to a head during the Republican convention earlier this year. The conservative faction -- headed by former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan -- demanded that the party platform maintain a strict anti-abortion clause mandating a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion under any circumstances. On the other side, a moderate faction led by pro-choice Republicans like Colin Powell and New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, argued that the anti-abortion plank be softened or dropped. Dole eventually worked out a compromise to keep the plank, while allowing moderates to express their views in an appendix. While the political debate continues, abortion's legal protection has increasingly come under fire from the Supreme Court. Despite the urging of abortion opponents hoping to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Court has not revisited or overturned the decision. It has, however, come down on the side of anti-abortion advocates in a series of court battles over state measures limiting the availability of abortions. The Court, for example, has allowed states to require pregnant teenagers to notify their parents when they decide to seek abortions and mandate waiting periods for pregnant women who want the procedure. In recent years, anti-abortion advocates have used increasingly violent tactics near abortion clinics or at the offices of doctors performing the procedure to discourage women from seeking abortions. According to the National Abortion Foundation, there have been five killings of abortion providers, 12 attempted murders, 14 bombings of abortion clinics and 104 arsons since 1977. The violence has limited the number of doctors willing to perform the procedure, especially outside of large cities. According to Foundation statistics, 84 percent of all state counties have no doctors providing abortions. Locally, the fight against abortion has been spearheaded by the student-run Penn Pro-Life group -- which is not SAC-funded -- and the Catholic-run Newman Center. Newman Council President Raul Planas explained that the Center plans its anti-abortion activities according to "the need we feel on campus." The fifth-year Engineering and Wharton senior said the group will sponsor a trip to the annual national pro-life rally in Washington, D.C. in January. He added that the Center has, in years past, brought nationally-known speakers to campus for anti-abortion events, although there are no plans to do so this year. Penn Pro-Life stresses personal advocacy, according to Hardy. She explained that the group does not hold demonstrations or campus protests, preferring instead to host educational meetings and volunteer at crisis-pregnancy centers throughout the city. "We feel that the best way to increase awareness and make a difference is to help the women who are actually experiencing the sort of crisis that might lead to an abortion," she said. "We offer emotional and financial support to help them through the difficulties." Hardy -- who said the group is not religiously affiliated -- added that she would vote for Dole based solely on his anti-abortion stance. Members of Penn Pro-Choice were unavailable for comment.