CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN JOSE : McCarthy Urges Letters on Abortion

With anti-abortion advocates marching outside, Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy called for a massive letter-writing campaign directed at President Bush to oppose a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a ban on abortion counseling at federally funded clinics. McCarthy told a group of Planned Parenthood administrators that 1 million letters might persuade Bush to sign proposed legislation nullifying the high court’s recent decision. McCarthy, a Democrat, said the controversial ruling is devastating for poor women who go to family-planning clinics for a full range of advice. Anti-abortion groups contend, on the other hand, that the Supreme Court has sent a message that government should not be involved in promoting abortion. While McCarthy spoke at a Planned Parenthood clinic, a dozen protesters picketed outside with signs proclaiming: “Abortion Kills Babies.”