Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

• Arkansas: State Sen. Gunner DeLay (R), who is running against state Rep. Dustin McDaniel (D) for Arkansas attorney general, recently said McDaniel "wants to interject himself into the legislative process," because of recent comments McDaniel made about abortion rights, the AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (DeMillo, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6/15). McDaniel during a 30-minute radio debate last week with Paul Suskie (D), who was challenging McDaniel in the Democratic primary, said he thinks the attorney general's office plays a role in keeping abortion accessible to women in the state. "I do believe a woman has a right to make her own medical decisions," McDaniel said, adding, "I will provide as much counsel and leadership to the [state] Legislature as possible" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/14). McDaniel -- who narrowly defeated Suskie in the primary -- on Wednesday said DeLay wants to focus the campaign on "divisive issues," adding, "There's nothing Gunner DeLay would love more than spending the next five months talking about abortion" (DeMillo, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6/15).
  

• Iowa: Secretary of State Chet Culver (D) and Rep. Jim Nussle (R) on Saturday formally received their respective parties' nominations for governor, the AP/WQAD.com reports (Glover, AP/WQAD.com, 6/17). Nussle during an interview with Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" said that he supports requiring minors to receive parental consent before undergoing an abortion. He added that the focus should be on trying to reduce the number of abortions performed in the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/13). Culver -- who won the Democratic nomination for governor against former U.S. Rep. Mike Blouin and state Rep. Ed Fallon -- has said he would favor retracting a law signed in 2002 by Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) that bans human embryonic stem cell research (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8).
  

• Maine: State Sen. Chandler Woodcock last week won the Republican nomination for governor, beating former Rep. David Emery and state Sen. Peter Mills, the Bangor Daily News reports. Meanwhile, Gov. John Baldacci won the Democratic nomination over Chris Miller (Bangor Daily News, 6/14). Woodcock during a debate earlier this month with Emery and Mills said he opposes abortion rights except in cases of rape or incest or if the woman's life is in danger, adding that his position on the issue has not changed throughout the campaign. Baldacci has said he supports Maine's abortion-related laws in their current form (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8). Emery and Mills have pledged to assist Woodcock in his campaign, the Daily News reports (Bangor Daily News, 6/14).
  

• Michigan: Jerry Zandstra (R), who recently withdrew his name from the U.S. Senate race, on Saturday in a message to his supporters said that he plans to establish a political action committee that will work toward banning abortion in the state, AP/MLive.com reports. Zandstra earlier this month withdrew from the race -- against Oakland Country, Mich., Sheriff Mike Bouchard (R) and Minister Keith Butler (R) -- after the Board of State Canvassers ruled that he was 712 signatures short of the 15,000 required to qualify for the Republican primary in August. Zandstra has supported an effort by Citizens for Life to put on the November ballot an issue that aims to legally define human life as beginning at conception. Right to Life of Michigan has said Citizens for Life's campaign is unnecessary because the state has a law that could ban abortion if Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively outlawed state abortion bans -- is overturned. Zandstra has criticized RTL for its position, which led the organization to remove him from its endorsement list, despite initially endorsing all three Republicans in the race. Butler has signed the Citizens for Life petition and remains on RTL's endorsement list. Bouchard's campaign says he has not signed the petition because he supports RTL's stance on the issue. The winner of the primary will face U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) in November (Barks Hoffman, AP/MLive.com, 6/17).
  

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.