Abortion-Rights Group Attacks Nethercutt Votes

Rep. George Nethercutt is a radical posing as a moderate on women’s reproductive issues, says an abortion rights group.

In 11 votes so far this year, the freshman Republican has voted to dismantle federal family planning programs and deny women access to abortion, according to the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.

Nethercutt also misled voters by reversing his campaign stance supporting the use of federal money for abortions for women who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest, the group said.

“Rep. George Nethercutt is leading women down the road to the back alleys. We want to tell people what they got when they voted for him,” said Cynthia Fine, NARAL’s Spokane coordinator, at a Monday press conference.

NARAL, with 12,000 members statewide and 1,058 in Eastern Washington, is going on the offensive during the August congressional recess against the record of the new Republican Congress.

Fine assailed Nethercutt’s vote against the federal Title 10 family planning program, which has had bipartisan support in Congress since the 1970s.

The efforts to ax Title X lost narrowly, with pro-choice Republicans crossing over to support the federal program.

“Had this measure succeeded - and it almost did - it would have severely harmed the thousands of women who have no other source for contraception, breast exams, Pap tests and the other reproductive health care they need,” Fine said.

Nethercutt was flying back to Washington, D.C., on Monday and could not be reached for comment.

But his press secretary, Ken Lisaius, said there’s no secret about Nethercutt’s position on abortion.

“He’s against the use of federal tax dollars for abortion. He has been supportive of family planning measures, but he wants block grants to go to the states,” Lisaius said.

NARAL also rapped Nethercutt’s Aug. 3 vote on a measure allowing states to prohibit Medicaid coverage for abortions to women who get pregnant from rape or incest.

“Fortunately women in Washington state are protected from this heartless measure because state Medicaid funds will cover abortion,” Fine said.

Nethercutt has not been honest with voters on this issue, Fine said.

She distributed a Nov. 1, 1994, statement from Nethercutt’s campaign office released the day abortion-rights proponents demonstrated at his campaign headquarters in Spokane.

“George opposes the use of federal tax dollars to pay for abortions, except in cases where the life of the mother is in danger, or in the cases of rape and incest,” the statement says.

Nethercutt’s vote against the rape and incest exception on Aug. 3 was a betrayal, the NARAL members said.

“He’s nice, he’s polite, and he’s completely untrustworthy,” said Louisa Rose, a former NARAL state board member who attended the press conference.

Nethercutt voted to allow each state to make its own decision on whether to pay for abortions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

“He views this as a states’ rights issue,” Lisaius said.

According to NARAL’s report card, Nethercutt has voted “anti-choice” on 11 of 12 bills, including:

An amendment to the crime bill that would have given more money to local police to protect women’s health clinics, the recent targets of anti-abortion violence. The House defeated the measure, 266-164.

A provision in the Department of Defense funding bill that would have prohibited abortions for U.S. military women serving overseas - even if they paid for the abortion themselves. That measure failed, 230-196.

A House amendment to the Overseas Interest Act that yanks federal money from organizations overseas that perform abortions with private funds. The amendment passed, 240-181.

, DataTimes