by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 23, 2005
Waterbury, CT (LifeNews.com) -- A Connecticut city council has
scraped a proposal to turn it into an abortion-free zone by prohibiting
abortions there. Though dozens of pro-life advocates packed a meeting,
city officials turned it down.
Independent Party Alderman Frank Caiazzo brought up the proposal, but members of the council voted 9-6 to place it "on file." That's how the city board quickly disposes of agenda items it doesn't want to debate.
Democrats on the panel opposed the resolution even though 40 pro-life advocates attending the meeting urged them otherwise.
They said the city has more pressing concerns than discussing abortion, according to an Associated Press news report.
"Alderman Caiazzo has the best intentions and I wouldn't call him a right-wing extremist or a single-issue type person, but this is just not an issue our board has jurisdiction over regardless of personal feelings," said J. Paul Vance, Jr., a Democrat who heads the aldermanic board.
Caiazzo says Joe Zdonczyk, of Wolcott, the leader of the Concerned Citizens Party, brought the idea to him. He said he believed local residents will back the idea, especially those in his district.
"What we want to do is invoke community standards," Zdonczyk said. "We're saying this kind of activity is out of place in the community, in Waterbury."
Caiazzo, who is in his first term, says he's Catholic and opposes abortion. He's also the father of two adopted daughters.
There
is no abortion business in town, though Waterbury Hospital does perform
a limited number of abortions, typically in cases when the unborn child
has severe or life-threatening disabilities.
