THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190389
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEC KLEIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
It took the vote of a single woman in the House of Delegates to tip the balance Wednesday in favor of a bill protecting patients' access to abortion clinics.
Del. Anne G. Rhodes, R-Richmond, the only Republican to break ranks with her party, joined Democrats to defeat a series of amendments that supporters said would have scuttled the bill. The GOP amendments failed by one vote - 49 to 50.
``I think it sends a message as much as anything else,'' Rhodes said of the bill after an emotionally charged debate. ``We simply don't tolerate the violent aspects of it, on either side. Peaceful demonstrations, efforts to education, or persuasion, I don't think are endangered by this bill.''
The Republican denied that she had fended off intense pressure from within her party. ``It was difficult in that I certainly appreciate other people's feelings,'' she said. ``Though my party felt very strongly on this, they did not (apply pressure) and respected my position.''
Although the bill survived House debate Wednesday, it still faces several hurdles. The House must take a final vote in what is typically a routine action. Then the bill must win Senate approval, where it faces more uncertainty, said Del. J. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, one of the bill's leading opponents.
``The key to this bill is that it's been so poorly drafted,'' Forbes said. ``Certainly, there's an opportunity for the Senate to put the bill in better form.''
House conservatives are leery of any legislation that can be interpreted as favoring abortion; Del. Raymond R. Guest Jr., R-Front Royal, warned his colleagues that the clinic access bill would give people seeking abortions more protection than people trying to vote.
Forbes had introduced three Republican-backed amendments to eliminate references in the bill to health care facilities. He asserted that the same protection should apply to all facilities open to the public, not just clinics.
But Del. Clifton A. ``Chip'' Woodrum, D-Roanoke, the bill's chief patron, argued that Forbes' amendments were so broadly defined that they would ``render (the bill) constitutionally suspect.''
Democrats accused Republicans of trying to dilute and undercut the bill by introducing 10 amendments: In addition to Forbes', Del. Roger J. McClure, R-Centreville, offered three and Robert G. Marshall, R-Manassas, four.
All 10 amendments failed, and the bill moved a step closer to becoming law - to the relief of Del. Howard E. Copeland, D-Norfolk. His district includes the Hillcrest Clinic, site of a recent shooting allegedly involving John C. Salvi III, who faces charges of killing two abortion clinic workers and wounding five others in Massachusetts.
``It's a frightening prospect that my neighbors, my constituents and my family could be in the line of fire,'' Copeland said.
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY ABORTION CLINIC by CNB