Gov. Carcieri '65 and wife attend anti-abortion rally
Isabel Gottlieb
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Metro
Gov. Donald Carcieri '65 and his wife showed their support for the anti-abortion movement by attending a Jan. 30 rally inside the State House.
The rally was organized by the Rhode Island State Right to Life Committee "in commemoration of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade" - the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion at the federal level - "and the babies that were aborted since that time," said Rita Parquette, executive director of the committee.
"One of our primary focuses is to change public policy regarding pro-life issues and legislations," Parquette said of the annual rally.
But the governor's attendance at the rally was meant to demonstrate his solidarity with the anti-abortion movement, rather than "push specific legislation," Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal told the Providence Journal in a Jan. 31 article. Neal could not be reached for comment for this article.
Carcieri and his wife, Susan, are well-known opponents of abortion..
The Carcieris "have been outspokenly and brazenly proud of their pro-life background and do everything to enhance that cause," said State Senator Rhoda Perry, who said she is the chair of the state Senate's pro-choice caucus..
"Any bill that is 'pro-life' that passes both House and Senate does not have to worry about gubernatorial veto," Perry said. "It makes a big difference to have an executive who is, in my opinion, anti-choice."
One bill, dubbed the "Women's Right to Know Act," has been introduced repeatedly - in 2001, 2004 and 2005, according to the Web site of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island Action Network. The bills, which require women to undergo a 24-hour waiting period and to review information about abortions before undergoing the procedure, have all died in House Judiciary committees, the Web site said.
"I have been very vociferously against that bill, and have given a very negative oration concerning the merits of that bill whenever it opens on our side," Perry said. "It's absolutely unnecessary. (Women) know their menstrual period, they know when they're pregnant, they inform themselves and do not need a 24-hour waiting period."
The rally was organized by the Rhode Island State Right to Life Committee "in commemoration of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade" - the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion at the federal level - "and the babies that were aborted since that time," said Rita Parquette, executive director of the committee.
"One of our primary focuses is to change public policy regarding pro-life issues and legislations," Parquette said of the annual rally.
But the governor's attendance at the rally was meant to demonstrate his solidarity with the anti-abortion movement, rather than "push specific legislation," Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal told the Providence Journal in a Jan. 31 article. Neal could not be reached for comment for this article.
Carcieri and his wife, Susan, are well-known opponents of abortion..
The Carcieris "have been outspokenly and brazenly proud of their pro-life background and do everything to enhance that cause," said State Senator Rhoda Perry, who said she is the chair of the state Senate's pro-choice caucus..
"Any bill that is 'pro-life' that passes both House and Senate does not have to worry about gubernatorial veto," Perry said. "It makes a big difference to have an executive who is, in my opinion, anti-choice."
One bill, dubbed the "Women's Right to Know Act," has been introduced repeatedly - in 2001, 2004 and 2005, according to the Web site of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island Action Network. The bills, which require women to undergo a 24-hour waiting period and to review information about abortions before undergoing the procedure, have all died in House Judiciary committees, the Web site said.
"I have been very vociferously against that bill, and have given a very negative oration concerning the merits of that bill whenever it opens on our side," Perry said. "It's absolutely unnecessary. (Women) know their menstrual period, they know when they're pregnant, they inform themselves and do not need a 24-hour waiting period."