Thune camp releases Daschle tape

Clash continues over 'pro-choice' label

By Bill Harlan, Journal Staff Writer

Democratic Sen.Tom Daschle and Republican challenger John Thune continued to battle Saturday over whether "pro-choice" accurately describes Daschle's position on abortion.

Thune's Senate campaign late Friday distributed a videotape of Daschle telling California Democrats in February 2002: "We will not surrender sacred ground, and that includes a woman's constitutional right to choose."

Thune said Saturday that Daschle proclaims himself "pro-choice" outside South Dakota and "anti-abortion" inside the state. "It's probably the most dishonest thing I've seen in politics," Thune said.

Daschle responded Saturday in writing: "In my view, the polarization of this issue and the 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' labels are counterproductive to the goals most of us share. Most South Dakotans and most Americans are deeply troubled by abortion, and they'd like us to find a way to prevent them."

Daschle said those preventive measures included "abstinence education programs, an increase to $10,000 in the adoption tax credit, and health and education programs that support children and families."

Over the past two weeks, abortion foes supporting Thune have run ads citing a fund-raising letter Daschle signed two years ago for the National Abortion Rights Action League, or NARAL. In the letter, Daschle said he had "stood up for a woman's right to choose." (The letter raised money for Democratic candidates for Senate.)

Thune called Daschle's statement in the NARAL letter and now on the video, which the Thune campaign said it found on Friday, evidence of Daschle's "pro-choice" position.

Daschle said last week his position on abortion had been consistent since his first run for Congress in 1978. He opposes abortion - except for rape, incest or to protect a woman's life - but he also opposes making abortion illegal.

Thune countered, "He's trying to have it both ways, and that is terribly weak and dishonest."

The tone of Daschle's written response to Thune was measured, but last week, Daschle was terse and impatient with a Rapid City Journal reporter who pressed him on the "pro-choice" label.

Three days later, during a conference call with South Dakota reporters, Daschle responded sternly to a question on whether the label was fair. "It would be fair to call me anti-abortion," Daschle said. "I just don't believe we ought to send young women or doctors to prison."

Thune said Saturday, "Don't believe what he says; believe what he does."

Thune cited the NARAL letter and the videotape, but he also cited Daschle votes in the Senate in support of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision paving the way for legal abortions.

"The Supreme Court has ruled on this issue," Daschle responded. "I respect the Court's decision."

Thune, however, also said Daschle cast other votes favoring abortion - including votes against banning partial-birth abortions, against parental notification when minors seek abortions and in favor of federal funding for abortions.

The South Dakota Republican Party has joined the attack with a four-panel brochure listing some of those votes.

Daschle campaign spokesman Dan Pfeiffer charged that Thune and the

Republicans' brochure distorted Daschle's record on at least half a dozen points, and, in some cases, simply got it wrong.

Daschle did vote against partial-birth abortion bans in some bills in the mid-1990s, but Pfeiffer said those measures did not allow for protection of the life of the mother. Daschle has voted five times in support of bans on partial-birth abortions, Pfeiffer said.

Daschle said he supports parental notification, though he did vote against a bill that included language, he said, which "could have had harmful, unintended effects" on minors.

The Republican brochure said Daschle voted 10 times in favor of federal funding for abortions. Pfeiffer said eight of the votes cited had nothing to do with federal funding of abortion, and one didn't even have anything to do with abortion.

Pfeiffer said Daschle did vote to allow federal employees to choose health plans that covered abortions.

The Republican brochure says Daschle received a "100 percent rating" from the National Abortion Rights Action League. Daschle actually received a 50 percent rating in 2003, Pfeiffer said, and his 100 percent rating in 2002 was based on a single vote to allow U.S. women in the military to pay for abortions out of their own pockets.

Throughout the week, Daschle refused to accept the "pro-choice" description of his position. On Saturday he wrote, "Instead of focusing on our differences and on labels that serve no real purpose, I'd like to see us focus our energies on preventing unwanted pregnancies and providing safe, life-affirming alternatives to abortion."

Thune said, "This is a controversial issue, obviously, but you should pick a side and go with it."

Contact Bill Harlan at 394-8424 or at bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com