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Spitzer's strong abortion backing

Attorney general wins key endorsement from rights group, which attacks likely opponent Suozzi for not being 'trustworthy' on issue

BY ERROL A. COCKFIELD JR. | NEWSDAY ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF

February 10, 2006

New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is seen after a fundraiser at the Glen Oaks Country Club in Old Westbury. (Newsday / Karen Wiles Stabile / February 15, 2006)

State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer received a key endorsement yesterday in his run for governor from the state's most influential abortion rights group, NARAL Pro-Choice New York. The organization's leader simultaneously attacked Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi for what she called an untrustworthy position on reproductive rights.

Kelli Conlin, the group's president, said during a recent meeting with Suozzi - who is likely to challenge Spitzer - that the county executive was not explicit about his position on late-term abortion. While Suozzi opposes such abortions, Conlin said he did not make it clear that he supports the procedure if a pregnancy jeopardizes a woman's health.

"I don't see him as a trustworthy candidate," Conlin told reporters after her group endorsed Spitzer at an event in lower Manhattan. "He's trying to have it both ways."

Earlier this week, Conlin said Suozzi was "pandering" to the various sides of the abortion debate when he announced the county would give out $1 million to abortion rights proponents and anti-abortion groups to help reduce abortions through sex education, abstinence programs, promotion of adoptions and housing for single mothers.

Some observers saw the move by Suozzi, who is Catholic, as an effort to appeal to more conservative voters as he attempts to woo them away from his political rivals.

"Bringing groups together and putting money on the table is not creating genuine dialogue," Conlin said.

Suozzi's chief political strategist, Kimberly Devlin, said the county executive had been unequivocal in a meeting with the group and she was shocked at Conlin's comments.

"He was very clear on his positions," Devlin said. "He is opposed to late-term abortions except when the life and health of the mother is at risk."

Spitzer also made a veiled strike against Suozzi, saying that public figures should be explicit about their position on the issue, though he never mentioned Suozzi by name.

"The debate about a woman's right to make decisions about her reproductive health should not be about tinkering with a point here and there, or shading an argument to placate one crowd or another," Spitzer said. "It should be about courage of conviction and strength of belief."

In a statement issued yesterday, Suozzi said he and Spitzer share similar views on reproductive rights. "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," Suozzi said.

But the two men do differ on the procedure, which abortion foes call "partial birth" abortion. Suozzi opposes it outright, with no qualifications. Spitzer also opposes it, but makes an exception when the life or health of the mother is in jeopardy.

Spitzer also issued a harsh indictment of the Bush administration's record on civil rights. He said the most recent appointments to the Supreme Court could result in the curtailment of Roe v. Wade protections.

"Indeed, it is part of a larger, singular effort to systematically redefine certain core civil rights," he said.

If elected governor, he said, he would work to make abortions "safe, legal and rare."

He criticized Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, for vetoing the Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act. Approved by the Legislature in June, it would have made emergency contraception pills, commonly known as Plan B, available over the counter to women regardless of age or parental consent. Pataki had expressed concern that teenagers would purchase the pills without parental notification.

"This bill should not have been vetoed," Spitzer said. "We need to pass that bill again, and if elected, I will sign it into law."