It probably doesn't matter much to voters in the end, but 8th Congressional District Democratic candidate Dave Ross - formerly a well-known Seattle radio talk show host and CBS Radio national commentator - has managed to incite pro-abortion mouthpieces even though he himself is pro-choice. How'd he do that?

By voicing his support for parental notification legislation for minors seeking an abortion. The heresy!

A prominent abortion-rights group has taken aim at...Ross, saying he isn't entirely aligned with them. Ross' two opponents, Alex Alben and Heidi Behrens-Benedict, have sided with abortion-rights advocates and hope their stance could give them an edge in the September Democratic primary.

All three Democrats describe themselves as "pro-choice"...(but) Ross also has voiced support for measures requiring parents to consent to an under-age daughter getting an abortion. He also said it should be illegal under some circumstances to take a girl to another state to evade state consent laws. A bill now in Congress would bar such cross-border trips.

Because of those stands, the Washington chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), calls Ross' position "mixed."

...The other two Democrats condemned such measures as an encroachment on women's rights to decide whether to have an abortion.

"Parental notification is simply a method to reduce women's reproductive health choices," Alben said at Tuesday's debate.

What rot. This guy's candidacy is flailing to begin with, after party leaders brought in the higher-profile, more charismatic Ross in hopes he'd emerge from the primary to challenge likely Republican nominee (and popular King County Sherrif Dave Reichert) for the retiring Jennifer Dunn's seat.

Then to compound matters, Alben tries pandering to the Far Left on parental notification in a district that practically defines moderate, nuanced suburban politics. Stupid. As for perennial candidate Behrens-Benedict, you coulda stuck a fork in her years ago. She was done before she even started, this time around. And the last, and the time before that, and....You need to run in SEATTLE, Heidi.

Ross' stances recently prompted NARAL's (Washington Executive Director Karen) Cooper to send roughly 500 local leaders an e-mail criticizing his positions, headlined with the statement: "Candidate Dave Ross ... Pro-Choice?"

Alben also won the endorsement from the political arm of the abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood. Ross did not return a questionnaire from that group, said a spokeswoman.

Ross said that while he considered himself "pro-choice," he didn't feel compelled to agree entirely with the agendas of interest groups.

"I rarely line up 100 percent behind any one group because I'm not a robot," he said.

In this respect at least, Dave Ross is my kind of guy.

And by the way, I'm pro-choice, but still not wildly enthusiastic about abortion.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 9, 2004 10:02 AM

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» Ross Hammered From Both Sides on Abortion from Political State Report
WA - Former Seattle radio talk show host Dave Ross, now running as a Democrat for the 8th District Congressional seat held by retiring Republican Jennifer Dunn, is defending his pro-choice stance on abortion in response to concerns voiced by Seattle's ... [Read More]

Tracked on July 20, 2004 11:28 AM

» WA - Ross Hammered From Both Sides on Abortion from Political State Report
Former Seattle radio talk show host Dave Ross, now running as a Democrat for the 8th District Congressional seat held by retiring Republican Jennifer Dunn, is defending his pro-choice stance on abortion in response to concerns voiced by Seattle's Archb... [Read More]

Tracked on July 20, 2004 11:56 AM

» WA: Ross Hammered From Both Sides on Abortion from Political State Report
Former Seattle radio talk show host Dave Ross, now running as a Democrat for the 8th District Congressional seat held by retiring Republican Jennifer Dunn, is defending his pro-choice stance on abortion in response to concerns voiced by Seattle's Archb... [Read More]

Tracked on July 21, 2004 06:28 PM