THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994              TAG: 9408250562
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A13  EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
                                             LENGTH: Short :   50 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** A law journal essay arguing that defendants charged with murdering abortion providers could use justifiable homicide as a defense was written by a staff attorney associated with Pat Robertson's legal foundation. A story Thursday, about U.S. Senate candidate Oliver North being asked to denounce abortion-clinic violence, implied that the entire legal foundation staff wrote the essay. Correction published Friday, August 26, 1994. ***************************************************************** NORTH ASKED TO DENOUNCE CLINIC VIOLENCE

The National Abortion Rights Action League on Wednesday called on Republican U.S. Senate candidate Oliver L. North to repudiate anti-abortion extremists who advocate violence against physicians who perform abortions.

Kate Michleman, president of NARAL, noted that North has the backing of Pat Robertson, whose legal foundation staff recently wrote an article saying that killing abortion providers could be a form of justifiable homicide.

Michleman said that North deserves the ``gold medal'' for political hypocrisy for criticizing pro-choice groups like NARAL as ``extremists'' while he embraces those who advocate violence against women and physicians.

``Mr. North's hypocrisy and his antipathy to the rights and needs of women clearly have no bounds,'' she said.

Mark Merritt, North's deputy campaign manager, said North is on record as denouncing violence against abortion clinics and physicians. Merritt quoted North as saying the suspect recently charged with killing a physician outside a Florida abortion clinic, if found guilty, should ``get the electric chair.''

Merritt dismissed Michleman's statement as a thinly veiled attempt to help incumbent U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb, a pro-choice Democrat.

``Maybe if Chuck Robb would get off his duff and campaign for himself, he wouldn't have to hide behind the skirts of extremists like NARAL,'' Merritt said.

KEYWORDS: CANDIDATE U.S. SENATE RACE ABORTION

by CNB