‘92 POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE : GOP Abortion Plank Targeted : Republican women who favor a right to the surgery hope to change platform.

Republican women who favor abortion rights Monday kicked off a pre-convention campaign to change the GOP platform, warning that it would be “political suicide” for the party to continue its strong anti-abortion stance.

Ann Stone, chairman of Republicans for Choice, contended that her group represents a majority viewpoint within the party that should not be ignored by next month’s GOP convention.

“Our party has been hijacked by a vocal anti-choice minority that wants to impose its view on the rest of us,” Stone said at a news conference in front of Republican national headquarters. “We need a platform that will help all Republicans win.”

Officials at GOP headquarters had no comment.

Mary Crisp, chair of the National Republican Coalition for Choice who was co-chair of the GOP in the late 1970s, said the party historically has supported equal rights for women and a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy.

“We want to help build the party--not tear it down,” she said. “But anti-choice is bad politics--it’s losing politics.”

They claimed the support of 10 Republican senators and 35 GOP members of Congress among a total of 500 elected Republican officials who favor abortion rights.

Despite their protests, the party platform is expected to reaffirm President Bush’s opposition to abortion and to the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973 that gave constitutional protection to a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

In contrast, Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton and his running mate, Tennessee Sen. Al Gore, have embraced abortion rights.

“It would be political suicide for the (Republican) party to ignore the wishes of a majority,” said Stone, claiming that poll results show that as many as 71% of GOP voters favor abortion rights.

“It could make a difference in winning or losing a close election,” Crisp said.

A new poll by American Viewpoint, a Washington polling firm, indicated that 48% of Republicans identified themselves with abortion rights advocates, while 40% sided with anti-abortion forces. The poll was based on a telephone survey of 1,000 Republicans. The firm’s owner, Linda Di Vall, a former Republican National Committee member, said the outcome was similar to a poll she conducted in April.

Responding to previous criticism, Republican officials have said that speakers favoring abortion rights--including Secretary of Labor Lynn Martin, who is expected to place Bush’s name in nomination--were scheduled to speak at the GOP convention.

Stone said she and Crisp were told they could speak in Houston for three minutes each--an offer they rejected as inadequate to address the subject.

Stone announced that a Republicans for Choice motor caravan would conduct rallies in Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis; St. Louis; Wichita, Kan.; Oklahoma City, and Dallas-Ft. Worth and Austin, Tex., en route to Houston.

“It’s a beginning of a fight for the soul of the Republican Party,” Stone said. “We’ll never give up. We’re in this fight for the long haul.”