Buckley Shocks Abortion Defenders

Political and community leaders expressed shock at conservative commentator William F. Buckley’s statements that some abortion rights activists consider abortion a means of limiting the black population.

“A lot of people think that abortion is a tactful way to limit the number of blacks who are born in the United States,” Buckley said in a television interview.

“A lot of people say, ‘Well, let’s just not raise the subject,’ but it’s a good way to keep down the population, a lot of which is headed for the underclass.”

He said, “I know a lot of Waspish people who won’t bring this up, but that’s what they’re thinking.”

New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, a Republican supporter of abortion rights, called the statements “outrageous” and “clearly untrue.”