New York Election Battles Don’t Give Pro-Life Advocates Much Hope 
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by Maria Vitale Gallagher
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
October 23, 2004
LifeNews.com Note: This is the eightteenth in a series of articles covering the 2004 elections state by state from the pro-life viewpoint.
Albany, NY (LifeNews.com) — It’s tough these days to be a pro-life voter in New York state. President Bush is not likely going to pick up the state in the presidential race and the top statewide race features to major party candidates who both support unlimited abortion.
The latest poll in the presidential race in New York shows pro-abortion candidate John Kerry with a 23 percent lead over the president. Bush lost the state by more than 24 percent to Al Gore in 2000.
Two pro-abortion candidates are facing off against a pro-life woman in this year’s U.S. Senate contest in New York state.
Incumbent Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat with a zero percent pro-life voting record, and Republican Howard Mills, who also supports legal abortion, are running against pro-life Conservative Party candidate Marilyn O’Grady.
In a recent televised debate, Assemblyman Mills characterized O’Grady as a single issue candidate concerned only with prohibiting abortion. Mills also repeated his desire to keep abortion legal, despite national opinion polls showing that most Americans oppose unrestricted abortion.
The New York Times has said the race has "so far failed to capture much public attention."
Polls show that Schumer has a commanding lead. Some political consultants are predicting that he will win as much as 65 percent of the vote.
For her part, O’Grady, a doctor, insisted her candidacy is about more than just abortion. The debate included talk about a variety of issues, from the increasing price of gasoline to the dwindling supply of flu vaccine.
At the end of the debate, O’Grady said, "Both my opponents are liberals, and they offer no clear choice in this race. I support President Bush, and I am running as a conservative to offer a true conservative voice."
"Marilyn is a strong advocate for the unborn," O’Grady’s campaign website states. "She is firmly opposed to any and all taxpayer funding for abortion, she supports banning that grisly infanticide called partial birth abortion and she supports the legal protection for unborn victims of violence."
Meanwhile, in Congressional races, other pro-life contenders include: Richard Hoffman for the 2nd Congressional district; Peter King, who has a 100 percent pro-life voting record, for the 3rd district; James Garner for the 4th district; Stephen Graves for the 5th district; Gerard Cronin for the 9th district; Vito Fossella, who has a 100 percent pro-life voting record, for the 13th district; Richard Hoffman for the 18th district; John McHugh for the 23rd district; Jim Walsh, who has a 100 percent pro-life voting record, for the 25th district; Tom Reynolds, who has a 100 percent pro-life record, for the 26th district; and Mike Laba for the 28th district.
Related web sites:
Marilyn O’Grady Campaign Website – https://www.voteogrady.com
New York Pro-Life Voters’ Guide – https://www.wevoteprolife.com/newyork.htm
New York State Right to Life – https://www.nysrighttolife.org
