Open Forum

"I will lead our nation toward a culture that values life; the life of the elderly and sick, the life of the young and the life of the unborn. Good people can disagree on this issue, but, surely, we can agree on ways to value life by promoting adoption, parental notification and, when Congress sends me a bill against partial-birth abortion, I will sign it into law." These are George W. Bush's exact words as he accepted the Republican Party's nomination for president.

As governor of Texas, Bush supported and signed into law a parental notification bill and a bill that protected the right of patients to receive lifesaving treatment. On the federal level Bush supports a Human Life Amendment and opposes taxpayer funding of abortions. He would appoint Supreme Court justices like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas who would strictly interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench.

"Let there be no doubt, I will protect and defend a woman's right to choose. The last thing this country needs is a Supreme Court that overturns Roe vs. Wade." These are Al Gore's exact words as he accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

In his eight years as a U.S. Senator, Gore voted pro-abortion 30 out of 32 times. He opposes a Human Life Amendment and supports taxpayer funding of abortions. Gore promises a Supreme Court that would support a woman's right to choose.

This session the U.S. House passed The Pain Relief Promotion Act which provides doctors with the ability to aggressively treat their patients' pain, while prohibiting the use of federally controlled drugs for physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. The Senate will vote soon. Bush supports this bill; Gore is opposed.

The contrast is clear: Bush is pro-life in words and deeds, Gore is not.

Clara Kedrowski

Little Falls