Critics ask: Is Schaffer going soft on abortions?

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 06:56 p.m., April 21, 2008
Updated 06:56 p.m., April 21, 2008

Bob Schaffer

Republican Bob Schaffer, an ardent pro-life advocate in the state legislature and Congress, now faces critics who question whether he really opposes abortion.

The criticism, which comes as Schaffer campaigns for the U.S. Senate, has upset some of his backers.

"Of all the Colorado politicians that we have, this is one of the few where I would not question his commitment to pro life," said state Rep. Kevin Lundberg, a fellow Larimer County Republican.

In recent days, Schaffer has been accused of ignoring forced abortions in a U.S. territory and of refusing to meet with a Colorado anti-abortion group.

But Dick Wadhams, Schaffer's campaign manager, ripped the credibility of those questioning Schaffer. He said Schaffer, a Roman Catholic and father of five, remains strongly opposed to abortion.

Steve Curtis, spokesman for American Right to Life, said his members want to question Schaffer on two issues: China and a proposed "personhood" ballot measure for November.

"I belive Bob Schaffer believes he's pro life, but there's an inconsistency here," said Curtis.

And an American school teacher who helped blow the whistle on guest-worker abuses in the territory says as a congressman, Schaffer ignored documented evidence that pregnant workers were urged to have abortions.

Wendy Doromal said when she lived in the Marianas Islands, her Filipino husband went undercover, posing as the husband of a Chinese woman who claimed she was pregnant and a guest worker. The couple was steered toward abortion clinics.

Schaffer said he inquired about the issue, but was unable to find any confirmed instances of forced abortions.

Doromal said Schaffer didn't want to see anything wrong during his 1999 trip to the Marianas because he was doing the bidding of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, hired by the territory to thwart congressional reforms.

"Bob Schaffer was part of the 'A' team, the Abramoff team," Doromal said. "All he cared about was proving that (negative) reports were false, not finding out if they were true."

Schaffer's trip was arranged by Abramoff's lobbying firm and a California-based Christian group with ties to the lobbyist.

Schaffer, of Fort Collins, faces U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, in November.

Wadhams and Curtis tangled in 1998, when Wadhams ran Republican Bill Owens' successful gubernatorial campaign. Curtis, then the state GOP chairman, publicly said he couldn't endorse Owens.

"That helped Bill Owens win the election. Need I say more?" Wadhams said.

But Curtis said the issue isn't personal. He noted he left the Republican Party after 1998 but rejoined specifically so he could vote for Bob Schaffer in his 2004 U.S. Senate primary against Pete Coors. Schaffer lost to Coors.

Curtis said Wadhams last week declined his group's request to meet with Schaffer.

One issue, Curtis said, was Schaffer's congressional vote giving favored-nation status to China. American Right to Life wanted to know whether Schaffer would reconsider that support, given reports of forced abortions in China and of Chinese workers in the Marianas.

"We think it is inconsistent to reward China with trillions of dollars of free trade with the United States when they're committing atrocious human-rights violations," Curtis said.

In addition, Curtis said there is concern Schaffer so far hasn't publicly supported a proposed ballot measure that would change the state constitution to define a fertilized egg as a person entitled to constitutional protections of inalienable rights, justice and due process.

"It's not on the ballot yet so we haven't taken a look at it," Wadhams said.

Right-to-life groups are split on their support for the measure, with some thinking it goes too far.

As for Doromal, Wadhams called her a "left-wing activist who came up with her own version of events."

"'Big deal' is all I can say about her," he said.

The criticism doesn't surprise those who know Doromal, including Dennis Grennia, who works for a social justice group in Washington D.C. He said Abramoff's strategy called for discrediting Doromal at every step, and Wadhams appears to be following the script.

Doromal received an award this month from Archbishop Desmond Tutu for her teaching and human rights activities.

Doromal, who now lives in Florida, taught in the Marianas during the 1980s and 1990s. She said she became a human rights activist after workers — many in textile factories — came to her about their working conditions.

She served as investigator for the U.S. Department of the Interior, and helped write its 1998 report outlining worker abuses in the territory. That report was forwarded to Schaffer's congressional committee.

"I have the documents where a Chinese worker states she was told to have an abortion on Saipan or return to China," Doromal said. "Everything was documented."

Schaffer said he discussed the issue of forced abortions with the Catholic bishop and other Catholic leaders during his trip.

"None of them could confirm any examples or episodes of this," he told the Rocky Mountain News.

But Doromal said it was a human rights advocate for the Catholic diocese who first exposed the abortions.

"Bob Schaffer's comments don't make sense," she said.

• April 21, 2008

  11:17 p.m.

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  rightwinger writes:

  Why won't Schaffer meet with these groups. He's running for office and they want to quiz him on his positions and past votes. Seems reasonable to me. What's the harm in having a conversation with voters?