Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 3 · column 1 of 4 · from the scan, no model involved
By MARY K. BLEWITT | Arundel Newspapers State Writer . The Virginia gubernatorial candidates have played it pretty safe up until now. They’ve pledge to be tough on crime, promised to put away the drug kingpins, and vowed to shave unnecessary spending.
But the issue that has burst to the surface is - abortion, one of the most controversial topics ever debated. The candidates have been forced to speak , their mind on an issue that they would like to see slip , back into the stack of stale, overly-debated topics. ; The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, however, has made . the subject a fresh one for the states, possibly throwing a monkey wrench in the campaign strategies of . Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and GOP candidate J. Marshall Coleman, the state’s former attorney general.
The two have come out on opposing sides of the issue. Both sides of the emotionally-charged question have strong enemies and strong supporters.
Coleman has taken a tough, anti-abortion stance. If elected governor, he said he would work to outlaw abortion except when the life of the mother is in jeopardy.
“I oppose abortion because I believe it constitutes the taking of a human life,” said Coleman in a press statement. “I believe we are morally obliged to pursue alternatives to abortion such as adoption.”
Wilder has continued with the “let’s keep Virginia moving forward” theme. Following the lead of Gov. Gerald L. Babies, he said he was confident that the people of the Commonwealth would reject his op1 ponent’s “efforts to turn back the clock.”
ilI have great confidence in —and I trust the good judgment of—the women of Virginia, the families of Virginia, the doctors of Virginia, and the clergy of Virginia,” said Wilder. “I support the Virginia statutes on abortion as they stand today, with the one addition of parental notification and consent for minors,” he said.
The GOP candidate has gone as far as saying that he will appoint only pro-lifers to state agency positions that deal with abortion. His position also does not make consideration for rape victims.
Virginians have indicated in polls that the majority of them would permit abortion in hardship cases
V.
92.1%