10th Dist. hopefuls detail abortion stances
Both candidates running for the 10th District congressional seat claim to support abortion rights, but the Republican in the race favors some limits on a woman's ability to choose.
In an e-mail interview with the Daily Herald, Republican candidate Robert Dold said the federal government should not insert itself into decisions made between a woman and her doctor.
But Dold went on to say he doesn't favor allowing late-term abortions. He also backs parental notification laws for minors.
Democratic candidate Dan Seals made no such stipulations when posed the same questions about abortion. Seals defended a woman's right to choose and opposed mandatory parental notification for teenage girls seeking abortions.
Dold, a business owner from Kenilworth, and Seals, a consultant from Wilmette, are facing off for the seat now held by Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park.
Kirk left the post open to run for the U.S. Senate. The 10th District includes parts of Cook and Lake counties.
Dold is a first-time candidate. Seals is making his third bid for Congress, having lost in 2006 and 2008 to Kirk.
The candidates were asked to share their views on abortion and other social issues in a recent e-mail.
Dold has billed himself as a pro-choice candidate and repeated that claim in the interview. He also doesn't believe the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion should be overturned.
Dold's support had boundaries, however. For example, he said he only backs late-term abortions in cases in which the safety of the mother is at risk.
Dold also backs parental-notification laws requiring doctors speak with a teen's parents before an abortion.
"(I) believe that a decision of this magnitude should not be made by a teenage girl without a parent or guardian being notified," Dold said, adding he supports a judicial bypass in cases where the girl's health is at risk.
Seals does not favor that step. Pregnant teens should speak with their parents to help decide what's best, but not every young woman comes from a supportive family, he said.
"A teenager may resort to an illegal, life-threatening procedure to avoid having to notify her parents," Seals wrote.
The candidates also were divided on whether federal tax dollars should be used to pay for abortions through subsidized insurance policies or the funding of federal health clinics that might offer abortions.
That topic was a key issue during the recent fight over health care reform.
Dold does not believe tax dollars should be used to fund abortions.
Seals supports using tax revenue to pay for the procedures, if they're needed.
"Restricting tax dollars from funding abortion and other reproductive services unfairly discriminates against low-income women who, while having the constitutional right to choose, cannot afford to exercise it," Seals said.