Ten O'Clock News; Murphy and abortion issue

[Evelyn Murphy] Choose. I believe that women ought to have the right to make their own decisions, weighing their own moral and their own religious beliefs, but to do that in privacy, without the Massachusetts courts and without the legislature. [Christy George] This is Evelyn Murphy territory. A room full of politically active women, celebrating the 17th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe versus Wade decision legalizing abortion. She was the only candidate for governor here, and to top things off, the National Organization for Women went after her chief opponent, Frank Bellotti, a recent convert to abortion rights. [Evelyn Murphy] And should the political winds shift again, we don't want the chameleons for choice changing their colors. [Christy George] So today was one of the good days for Murphy. One of the days that reminds people, she is the candidate with real passion about abortion. [Evelyn Murphy] Because I lived here in the state, before the Roe versus Wade opinion, and I know what risks some of my friends went through, and the dangers.

This is a terribly difficult, awful decision that no woman ever likes to make. [Christy George] Murphy entered the Governor's race with a big advantage: A solid base of womens' support, and the abortion issue was clearly part of that. Last summer, soon after the Supreme Court ruled that states can limit abortion rights, Murphy was the front runner in the governor's race - 10 points ahead of Bellotti, her closest competitor. When abortion is hot, Murphy is hot. But since the summer, there have been bad days. The talk has turned to the budget and taxes, and Murphy is suddenly 16 points behind Bellotti, according to a Boston Herald Channel 5 poll. She still leads among women under 40, but women 40 and over support, first Bellotti, then undecided, then John Silber, then Murphy. [Evelyn Murphy] Well I

think the issue right now is leadership, and who provides a kind of leadership that this state will be comfortable with, and proud of. And all I can do is to keep showing people that I live by, stand by, and act on my principles, and that when the going gets tough and the polls change, I'm still going to be there on the issue of choice for women, no matter what. [Christy George] Being for abortion rights made the difference in several tough races around the country, last year. But those victory margins were razor thin. And while Evelyn Murphy clearly has the strongest claim to the issue here, it's beginning to look as though abortion alone, won't be enough for her. For the 10 O'Clock News, I'm Christy George. [Evelyn Murphy] The anniversary of real choice, for women in this country. Choice. An estimated one million women annually, risked their lives, obtaining dangerous and clandestine

abortions. Since 1973, the year [speech is abruptly interrupted by a new male speaker] Right. All right. You. Know. [Outside noise] hey, hey, ho,ho

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