Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510040082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The hourlong evening forum at Virginia Western Community College, broadcast live on WVTF-FM, was the first debate at which Republican incumbent Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, and his Democratic opponent, Roanoke Vice Mayor John Edwards, were able to question each other.
The issues touched on included drugs, crime, the death penalty, and welfare reform. But most of their disagreements occurred over schools and abortion.
Bell said local politicians and school board members torpedoed his controversial "charter schools" bill before they'd even read it - solely for political reasons.
The freshman senator has led the charge for controversial "charter schools" - publicly funded schools controlled by parents and teachers that are free from many regulations imposed on traditional public schools.
Edwards noted that both the city and county school boards, Roanoke City Council and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors sided strongly against Bell's legislation.
"Given your professed belief that decisions should be made at the local level ... why do you persist against the wishes of the people of this valley, to push your charter school bill in the General Assembly?" Edwards asked Bell.
Bell replied that none of the school board members or elected officials had even read the bill before voting against it.
"Obviously a lot of that was driven by politics," Bell said. "... I called them and told them I'd like to actually provide them with a copy of the bill, that we were still working on it ... before [they] take a position. They felt like, 'no, we've got to rush ahead because of all the heat we're getting from different sources to do that.'"
The other big disagreement came over parental notification for minors seeking abortions. Under current law, minors can get an abortion without their parents knowing about it.
Bell said parents must be involved when their teen daughters seek abortions. And he opposes legislation that would allow doctors to notify a relative other than a parent. Gov. George Allen vetoed such a bill this year.
"I see it as very much a parental rights issue," Bell said. "You're talking about a medical procedure that parents just should be involved in. Any other medical procedure, they'd be asked to sign a waiver to allow [a daughter] to undergo that procedure."
But Edwards called that position "probably unconstitutional" and potentially "dangerous" because there's no leeway for doctors to avoid notifying an abusive parent or one separated from a child.
"I do not believe you can legislate communication between a parent and a child. And I believe a woman has a right under the constitution to have an abortion under proper circumstances," Edwards said. "... We should trust the women of Virginia to make these kinds of personal decisions."
Bell shot back: "I don't believe a 14-year-old child is a woman."
To hear excepts from the debate, call Infoline at 981-0100 after noon today and press category 7813. In New River, call 382-0200.
by CNB