California Gov Schwarzenegger Picks Abortion Advocate as New Chief

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 30, 2005   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

California Gov Schwarzenegger Picks Abortion Advocate as New Chief Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 30, 2005

Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday named the former head of a pro-abortion organization has his new chief of staff — angering pro-life groups in the process.

After losing all of the special election initiatives he placed on the ballot earlier this month and seeing his poll number declining, the governor, who backs abortion himself, apparently believed he needed to reach out to Democrats.

With that in mind, he appointed California Public Utilities Commissioner Susan Kennedy as his new chief of staff. Kennedy was cabinet secretary to former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, who California voters threw out of office in 2003 in a recall election.

"She’s a woman that is known as being a hard-working woman, dedicated, and is willing to work whatever it takes to get the job done," Schwarzenegger said in a news conference. "She’s willing to set her Democratic philosophy aside and do the job and do my vision — to be able to work together with Democrats and Republicans."

What upsets pro-life groups is that Kennedy is the former executive director of the California Abortion Rights Action League.

“Arnold Schwarzenegger has become a liberal Democrat," said Randy Thomasson, the president of Campaign for Children and Families.

"By placing a leading … pro-abortion Democrat activist in charge of his entire administration, Arnold has taken a disastrous turn to the left," Thomasson explained. "Conservative voters who supported him are waking up from their dream and stepping into reality — and the reality stinks."

Thomasson said the appointment would be akin to President Bush naming pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton to head up his administration — a notion he called "utterly ridiculous."

Schwarzenegger takes a pro-abortion position, but said he favored Proposition 73, which would have allowed for parents to be notified about a teenager daughter’s abrotion. California voters narrowly defeated the measure, which Schwarzenegger did not back with heavy campaigning.

Related web sites:
Campaign for Children and Families – https://www.savecalifornia.com
Governor’s office – https://www.governor.ca.gov