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by Jim Holman.
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Treason or Just Politics?

PRO-LIFE POLITICIANS RECEIVE MONEY FROM ABORTIONIST

By Karl Brauer

Calling them "bizarre behind-the-scenes relationships," the June 26, 1998 Orange County Weekly uncovered monetary links between abortionist Edward Allred and "rabid right-wing Orange County Republican politicians." Quoting Rush Limbaugh, "Always follow money on any public issue," the Weekly article suggested that Allred's dining and funding of such pro-life politicians as Scott Baugh, Curt Pringle, John Lewis and Ross Johnson indicate a dark, and even prurient, relationship of compromise.

Edward Allred is one of the biggest "abortion providers" in California. According to the Weekly, Allred owns 21 abortion clinics in California, with two in Chicago. According to the Weekly, he once told a reporter that his Family Planning Associates abortion clinics have "streamlined... made efficiencies... employed the suction technique better than anyone, and... eliminated needless patient-physician contact." Allred has made millions of dollars off abortion. In 1989, Allred bought into the lucrative Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, and, last February, bought out his last major partner.

Allred, a self-described Reagan conservative, has contributed liberally to the Republican Party and Republican politicians [see "I'll Be Back," June 1998 Mission]. According to the Weekly, Allred has funded such Orange County Republicans as Congressman Dana Rohrbacher, state senators John Lewis and Ross Johnson, assemblymen Curt Pringle and Scott Baugh. Allred has also given money to Governor Pete Wilson ($80,000), Treasurer Matt Fong ($1,000), and Attorney General Dan Lungren ($10,000).

In the past two years, says the Weekly, Allred has payed Baugh $16,000 in contributions, and loaned him $10,000, interest free. "[A]n Allred-connected business," too, said the Weekly, spent $3,050 on a fund-raiser for Baugh at Los Alamitos Race Course in 1996. The monies given to Baugh went toward the assemblyman's campaign and legal defense fund. Baugh is under a felony-indictment, having been accused of election-related crimes during his 1995 special election campaign against Doris Allen.

Allred's contributions to former Assembly speaker Curt Pringle (now the Republican candidate for state treasurer) amounted to $26,250 between 1996 and 1998, according to the Weekly. Ross Johnson of Newport Beach received, in 1996, $15,000 from Allred, and in 1997, another $2,000.

The contributions made by Allred to Pringle, Baugh, and Johnson have not come through Family Planning Associates, but through Quarter Horse Racing, Inc., and Los Alamitos Race Course, according to the state's Independent Expenditure Committee and Major Donor Committee Campaign Statement. However, Allred signed the statements as the "individual donor or responsible officer" of these entities. Other Southern and Central California state politicians listed as beneficiaries of Allred's largess include assemblymen Tom Bordanaro of San Luis Obispo ($9,000); Brett Granlund of Yucaipa ($6,500); and state senators James Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga ($9,000); and Ken Maddy of Fresno ($28,000). Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Lungren received $10,000 from Allred in 1994, though the Weekly article stated that in 1996 Lungren returned a "sizable contribution" from Allred.

In response to the Weekly report, in July Operation Rescue West ran a full page advertisement in the Christian Times, a Protestant evangelical news magazine, calling Baugh's, Pringle's, Johnson's and Congressman Steve Horn's reception of money from Allred "the biggest betrayal of Christian principles ever." "The dirty little secret is now out," read the advertisement. "Orange County politicians have been quietly meeting with, receiving tens of thousands of dollars from, and then voting to protect the interests of the notorious abortionist, Edward Allred." Citing Proverbs 17:23 ("A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the courts of justice") the advertisement says that these politicians "believe, you will continue to give to their campaigns and as long as they vote on enough meaningless pro-life bills you will forgive them when they betray you and the babies they are elected to protect."

Have these politicians betrayed the pro-life cause? A spokesman for Scott Baugh told the Mission that Baugh remains as strongly pro-life as ever. The spokesman explained that the contributions "have come from the Los Alamitos Race Course, not directly from Dr. Allred, and he's not the sole owner of the race track. There are other partners involved in that. The money did not come directly from Dr. Allred, it came from the racetrack, which is a very large employer in our district."

A spokeswoman for Assemblyman Tom Bordanaro told the Mission that before we brought it to their attention, Bordanaro did not know of the contribution. "Tom was shocked and amazed," she said, when he heard of the donation. He did not know, she claimed, that Allred was the owner of Los Alamitos Race Course. The spokeswoman said that the money was definitely a major donors campaign contribution, but that it probably came in on the same day as other contributions and went unnoticed. Bordanaro, she said, is a strong supporter of the race-horse industry and has aided them by backing lower taxes for horse racing. She indicated that, though they receive a print-out of campaign donations, the print-out indicated only Los Alamitos race track, without Allred's name.

The Allred contribution, the spokeswoman said, has "nothing to do with [Bordanaro's] pro-life stand." Bordanaro, she said, is staunchly pro-life (he is a Catholic), and so would take no money from Allred. Bordanaro, she said, would, in the future, no longer take contributions from Los Alamitos.

Assemblyman Brett Granlund's campaign spokeswoman, Lonnie Granlund, told the Mission that the assemblyman was "100 percent" pro-life and would remain so in the future. A representative of Senator Brulte said that Brulte is "not outspoken on any kind of choice issue. I wouldn't doubt that his voting is [pro-life], but he never comments on it." Curt Pringle's office did not return our phone calls.

Whatever the protestations of politicians, pro-life activists are divided over the significance of the Allred contributions. "The issue is purity," Operation Rescue West's Troy Newman told the Mission. "We must be pure in the eyes of God or we will not be able to win" the struggle against abortion. Speaking from Lake Arrowhead, Newman asked, "would PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] take money from a fur farm? Would Jesse Jackson take money from the KKK?" To Newman, the fact that pro-life politicians take money from Allred seriously compromises their being truly pro-life since, as Newman said, "the borrower is the slave to the lender."

Orange County activist Robert Cielnicky, coordinator of the Alliance against Abortion Funding, said that while he is "not soft" on politicians who take money from Allred, he is wary of targeting pro-life politicians. "I don't want to see prolifers become embroiled in actions that are inconsistent with a pro-life ethic, but have thus far not become reflected in pro-life legislation," Cielnicky said. "I'd rather see us concentrate on pro-abortion politicians who are acting unchallenged in their districts because people in their districts don't really know how [the politicians] are voting. I would rather see efforts to expose what they truly are on the life issues."

"I have a saying, that the Devil has had that money long enough, it's about time the saints of God got their hands on it," said Lou Sheldon of the Anaheim-based Traditional Values Coalition. "So, if those politicians who vote 100 percent pro-life and are pro-life were given money with no strings attached by Allred, that's between him and them. I don't see any problem with it... it doesn't impact my relationship with Scott Baugh or the others who took the money."

Sheldon, asked if the Allred money could sway pro-life politicians to compromise, replied, "For those individuals, no." That the money came from Allred's racetrack, and not his a abortion concern, is significant for Sheldon. Sometimes, he indicated, one must ally with individuals with whom one has no "common ground." "Allred is an abortionist," said Sheldon, "but he was helping Scott Baugh with another issue that was relevant"--presumably Baugh's legal defense fund.

Al Howard, pastor of His Nesting Place in Downey, a church which provides a home to unwed mothers, called it "treason" for a Christian to receive money from such as Allred. "It would be like accepting money from Himmler," he said. I don't understand how a politician can accept money from an abortionist and have a clear conscience."

Pastor Howard does not accept the argument that pro-life politicians are taking money from the Devil when they accept Allred's contributions. "Allred is a multi-millionaire," said Howard, "taking some of his money, thinking that that might take away from some of his other [activities]--I just don't buy that. He has so much money that that wouldn't be possible. Maybe if someone was taking $30 million, then, maybe, you could say, 'Oh, that's a chunk of money, that's taking away from his other endeavors; his abortion industry itself. But not the little bit of money they're taking."

Tim Wilson, a pro-life activist from Inglewood said he thought the approach represented by the Operation Rescue advertisement in the Christian Times "beneficial" since "people are too much at peace with the abortion industry and its blood money." Wilson said that since "money is the root of all kinds of evil" when one combines "blood with the money" he will "reap a bad crop." Wilson said receiving money from Allred is a bad compromise "because you're saying it's all right to abort some babies as long as I get the money."

However, Brian Johnston, Western Regional Director for the California Pro-Life Council, said he thinks pro-life activists misdirect their energies when they focus on who receives money from whom. "There are so many serious, important battles in front of us, and people don't even see them," said Johnston. One such battle is the confirmation, on the November ballot, of Ron George as chief justice of the California Supreme Court [see accompanying article]. It is with such issues that Johnston thinks "Catholic voters, particularly," should concern themselves. "We have a pro-abortion chief justice who is up for confirmation," said Johnston, "and it's been very difficult for me to get anyone to focus on that."

"I don't have a fight with [Scott Baugh] over the fact that he needs to get elected and it's hard to raise money," said Johnston. But if a pro-life politician votes pro-abortion after receiving the money, then "I'm going to go after him! If some one gives me a gift, and then turns around and says, 'I've given you this gift, will you now do this illegal thing, this improper thing. Now it's my decision whether I will do something illegal or improper or inappropriate or that's against my convictions. If I said I was pro-life, and I'm now going to do something that's not pro-life, then I'm accountable. That is the act, that is the violation," not the reception of the money.

The belief, said Johnston, that wherever money is involved there is evil, assumes that money is in itself evil. "It's a very simplistic view of reality," he said, "but isn't actually a moral principle.... I want to make sure that the standards we hold [politicians' to are proper standards. We'll hold them accountable for their vote."

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