Abortion foes flay senators

Some anti-abortion Republican stalwarts are so angry with GOP state senators for not passing several anti-abortion bills that they want Senate majority leaders replaced.

In the Aug. 23 state Republican Party convention, three of 10 prefiled resolutions deal with the 29-member state Senate refusing to pass two anti-abortion bills in the 2003 Legislature. The resolutions are also in retaliation for the Senate not passing resolutions in the 2000 and 2002 general sessions calling on Congress to pass an anti-abortion constitutional amendment.

All four measures passed the House but died in the Senate when lawmakers adjourned without acting.

GOP senators aren't the only ones under attack. Two resolutions also criticize GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt, saying after "repeated" requests by anti-abortion Republicans that he call a special legislative session this summer to deal with the anti-abortion measures, Leavitt has "utterly refused" to do so.

One resolution calls for Republicans to pick someone other than Leavitt as their gubernatorial nominee next year.

Leavitt spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour said anti-abortion groups have asked Leavitt to put the two anti-abortion bills on any special session call. Leavitt agrees to place items on such a call if they can't wait until a general session and if most legislators want to consider those items in a special session, she said.

"Those (two abortion bills) have not met that criteria yet," she said. Leavitt will probably call legislators back into special session in October to consider a number of items, including whether to sell the quasi-public Workers Compensation Fund.

Republican senators have held heavy majorities in that body for years. And one of the resolutions says the GOP leaders' actions — or inaction — on abortion bills is so outrageous that "this cowardice and insubordination" can no longer be tolerated.

Accordingly, one resolution says the state Republican Party's anti-abortion plank should be removed from the platform — so Republicans can't be accused of hypocrisy for claiming one principle in the platform but not fighting for anti-abortion votes in the Senate.

Another resolution chastises Leavitt, Senate President Al Mansell, R-Sandy, and other GOP leaders and asks that the resolution be personally sent to them and posted for all to read on the state party Web site.

And a third resolution says that good Republicans should support any anti-abortion candidates who run against Leavitt next year and that all the current GOP Senate leaders should be replaced.