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Questioning Gov’s stance
In a move some say is politically motivated, Pataki will veto bill to expand access to emergency birth control
BY ERROL A. COCKFIELD JR.
ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF
August 2, 2005
ALBANY – After his decision over the weekend to veto a bill that would expand access to emergency contraception, Gov. George Pataki fell under immediate suspicion that he was trying to fuel presidential hopes.
The Republican governor, who announced last week that he would not seek a fourth term, won favor with conservatives around the country whom he will need to court if he is serious about the White House.
That wing of his party has opposed the bill, which would make the so-called “morning after pill” available over the counter, because it does not have any age restrictions.
“This created that buzz Pataki is looking for,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie. “This issue speaks to a national audience.”
The governor’s critics said he had veered from a decade-long record of supporting choice in women’s reproductive health issues. They noted Pataki had signed bills that expanded access to emergency contraception under Medicaid and in emergency rooms after incidents of rape.
But Pataki’s aides said in those cases the governor had supported legislation that required a medical professional to be involved, what some consider a key flaw in the current bill. And during a visit to Farmingdale yesterday Pataki said his stance was consistent with his record. “I happen to think it’s simply wrong that an 11-, 12-, 13-year-old girl would have access to prescription drugs with no medical supervision and no guidance at all,” he said.
Kelli Conlin, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, said the involvement of medical professionals under the bill had been understated because pharmacists would interview women before dispensing the drug.
The governor said he supported the bill in principle, but would only sign it if lawmakers applied age restrictions.
The bill’s sponsors, state Sen. Nicholas Spano (R-Yonkers) and state Assemb. Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale), said they were working with Pataki’s office to reach a compromise before the bill hits his desk Thursday.
Last week, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another Republican governor with national aspirations, vetoed a bill that would have expanded access to emergency contraception in that state.
As Pataki heads for another swing next month through Iowa, Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, said the governor would quickly employ his position on emergency contraception. “He’ll mention this first,” Sabato said.
Supporters of the bill said the governor was forsaking women’s health in favor of his ambitions. “Perhaps politics has won out over women’s health,” said JoAnn Smith, interim president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. “This is a 180-degree turnaround on the governor’s part.”
Pataki’s announcement on Sunday came after NARAL Pro-Choice New York said it would begin a $70,000 advertising campaign in Iowa, New Hampshire and New York, attacking Pataki for not signing the bill.
The ad, which will air today through the end of the week, suggests Pataki is opposing the bill because he is considering a 2008 run for the White House.
“New Yorkers and Americans value principles over politics,” a narrator says. “Do the right thing, governor. New York and America are watching.”
Sending the bill back to the Legislature for reconsideration could allow Pataki to adroitly evade the issue because the Food and Drug Administration is expected next month to decide whether emergency contraception should be made available over the counter. That decision will override what states do, although laws in place in seven states would stand.
newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-stpill0802,0,3547283.story?coll=ny-nation-big-pix
In a move some say is politically motivated, Pataki will veto bill to expand access to emergency birth control
BY ERROL A. COCKFIELD JR.
ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF
August 2, 2005
ALBANY – After his decision over the weekend to veto a bill that would expand access to emergency contraception, Gov. George Pataki fell under immediate suspicion that he was trying to fuel presidential hopes.
The Republican governor, who announced last week that he would not seek a fourth term, won favor with conservatives around the country whom he will need to court if he is serious about the White House.
That wing of his party has opposed the bill, which would make the so-called “morning after pill” available over the counter, because it does not have any age restrictions.
“This created that buzz Pataki is looking for,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie. “This issue speaks to a national audience.”
The governor’s critics said he had veered from a decade-long record of supporting choice in women’s reproductive health issues. They noted Pataki had signed bills that expanded access to emergency contraception under Medicaid and in emergency rooms after incidents of rape.
But Pataki’s aides said in those cases the governor had supported legislation that required a medical professional to be involved, what some consider a key flaw in the current bill. And during a visit to Farmingdale yesterday Pataki said his stance was consistent with his record. “I happen to think it’s simply wrong that an 11-, 12-, 13-year-old girl would have access to prescription drugs with no medical supervision and no guidance at all,” he said.
Kelli Conlin, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, said the involvement of medical professionals under the bill had been understated because pharmacists would interview women before dispensing the drug.
The governor said he supported the bill in principle, but would only sign it if lawmakers applied age restrictions.
The bill’s sponsors, state Sen. Nicholas Spano (R-Yonkers) and state Assemb. Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale), said they were working with Pataki’s office to reach a compromise before the bill hits his desk Thursday.
Last week, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another Republican governor with national aspirations, vetoed a bill that would have expanded access to emergency contraception in that state.
As Pataki heads for another swing next month through Iowa, Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, said the governor would quickly employ his position on emergency contraception. “He’ll mention this first,” Sabato said.
Supporters of the bill said the governor was forsaking women’s health in favor of his ambitions. “Perhaps politics has won out over women’s health,” said JoAnn Smith, interim president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. “This is a 180-degree turnaround on the governor’s part.”
Pataki’s announcement on Sunday came after NARAL Pro-Choice New York said it would begin a $70,000 advertising campaign in Iowa, New Hampshire and New York, attacking Pataki for not signing the bill.
The ad, which will air today through the end of the week, suggests Pataki is opposing the bill because he is considering a 2008 run for the White House.
“New Yorkers and Americans value principles over politics,” a narrator says. “Do the right thing, governor. New York and America are watching.”
Sending the bill back to the Legislature for reconsideration could allow Pataki to adroitly evade the issue because the Food and Drug Administration is expected next month to decide whether emergency contraception should be made available over the counter. That decision will override what states do, although laws in place in seven states would stand.
newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-stpill0802,0,3547283.story?coll=ny-nation-big-pix