Abortion Stand

Your article of July 29 (“Abortion Rights Groups Criticize Huffington Record”) inaccurately reflects my positions on the abortion issue. For the record, I want to once again state my position:

I totally and unequivocally support a woman’s right to choose. I voted to lift the gag rule, and in favor of clinic access. I am in favor of state and local funding of abortion, and support federal funding only as a last resort.

That said, like the vast majority of Californians, I also support some sensible restrictions on abortion:

* I am against abortion for the purpose of sex selection.

* I am in favor of parental notification (though not parental consent).

* I oppose third-trimester abortions, with the exception of the life of the mother.

There are those who, because of my support for these minor restrictions, are trying to paint me as anti-choice. They are extremists, whose opinions on the issue are shared by only 6% of the population. By their radical litmus test, nearly all Californians are anti-choice. My position on abortion is clear, mainstream, and I have not diverged from it since I entered public life.

REP. MICHAEL HUFFINGTON

R-Santa Barbara