Posted on 08/01/2005 6:47:10 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. George Pataki will veto legislation that would allow women to buy the "morning-after" pill without a prescription, a decision described by abortion rights advocates as "sheer political expediency" to build conservative support for a 2008 presidential run.
Pataki disclosed his plans Sunday night through spokesman Kevin Quinn.
"Consistent with his record on women's reproductive issues, the governor plans to veto the legislation primarily because it provides no protection whatsoever for minors," Quinn said. "If this and other flaws in the bill are addressed, and a responsible version of the bill is advanced, the governor would support it."
Similar legislation was vetoed last week by fellow Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who also is eyeing a White House bid. Pataki announced last week he would not seek re-election to a fourth term next year, a move widely seen as a prelude to a possible run for national office.
Word of the veto plan came after Pataki's aides learned the New York chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League was preparing to air television commercials in New York as well as Iowa and New Hampshire, traditional sites of the first presidential nominating contests. The ads stress Pataki's past support for reproductive rights and urge the governor not to veto the measure.
"It's unfortunate that as he looks to run for president he would toss away his principled legacy for sheer political expediency," said Kelli Conlin, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, after being told of the governor's veto plan. "It's obviously a flip-flop on his part."
Conlin said the ad campaign would continue "because we feel public pressure is the only vehicle we have at this point."
Republican strategists have said Pataki's biggest hurdle if he seeks national office will likely be his past support, as governor, for abortion and gay rights as well as strict gun-control legislation.
Pataki has been under pressure from abortion rights supporters to approve the "morning-after pill" legislation while anti-abortion groups, including New York's Roman Catholic bishops and the Pataki-allied state Conservative Party, have been just as vocal in their opposition.
The measure would allow girls and women to obtain the medication - intended to prevent pregnancy by ensuring that an egg does not become fertilized - without a physician's visit or prescription and without parental consent regardless of the patient's age.
"To allow a teenager to purchase the morning-after pill in the same manner as she would purchase cough drops or bubble gum is the biggest injustice one can do to our daughters and granddaughters," state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long had written in a June 24 letter to the governor. "Governor Pataki, please protect our daughters with your veto pen."
The legislation was expected to be sent to the governor this week by the Democratic-controlled state Assembly where it originated. The governor then has 10 days to sign or veto it. The measure was approved by the Republican-led state Senate on June 22 in a move that caught many opponents by surprise.
Now that he is a lame duck, he can actually do the right thing.
Looks like Pataki is trying to look conservative in preparation for his Presidential campaign.
Good luck. I'd vote for Guiliani or even Romney before I'd vote for Pataki.
As long as the sale of the morning after pill is restricted to those over 18, it should be over the counter.
I'm afraid you have been misinformed. The main aim of the morning after pill is to prevent the fertilized egg from implanting or expelling the new life once it has implanted.
I don't consider the pregnancy to have begun until the egg is implanted, since such a high majority of fertilized eggs never do implant.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.