Abortion-rights, women's groups endorse Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Patrick

NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and other abortion-rights and women's groups on Thursday announced that they will support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick (D), the AP/Boston Globe reports.

Patrick has said he supports abortion rights, stem cell research and "other issues important to women," the AP/Globe reports (LeBlanc, AP/Boston Globe, 10/12).

The Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, supports abortion rights and has said she backs a state law that requires minors under age 18 seeking abortions to obtain permission from a parent or guardian before undergoing the procedure.

In addition, Healey has said she supports legislation vetoed by Gov. Mitt Romney (R) in May 2005 that allows human cloning for research purposes but bans human cloning for the purpose of reproduction.

The state legislature overrode Romney's veto. Independent Christy Mihos and Grace Ross of the Green-Rainbow Party also are running for governor (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/20).

NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts Executive Director Melissa Kogut said that Healey had a chance to affirm her stance in favor of abortion rights during Romney's tenure but did not.

"Reproductive rights have never been more at stake than they are right now," Kogut said, adding, "We need a governor we can count on to be a leader to protect women's health, privacy and reproductive freedom."

According to a WHDH-TV/Suffolk University survey released on Tuesday, Patrick is favored by 46% of voters overall, compared with 33% for Healey, 7% for Mihos and 1% for Ross.

Twelve percent of voters are undecided. The survey polled 400 state residents from Oct. 10 through Oct. 11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points, the AP/Globe reports (AP/Boston Globe, 10/12).