Wednesday, April 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- The emotional issue of late-term abortions divides the three major Republican candidates for the 2nd Congressional District.
They're together on most other things, however, such as assault weapons and English as the national language.
Patty Cafferata, Jim Gibbons and Treasurer Bob Seale, appearing before about 100 persons attending the Carson City Republican Women's Club luncheon, also espoused similar positions on favoring a flat tax and stopping children of illegal aliens from gaining legal status.
Last week President Clinton vetoed the bill that would have outlawed a certain type of late-term abortion.
Cafferata told the audience that she was the only pro-life candidate and would have voted for the bill if she had been in Congress. "I'm very disappointed that Clinton vetoed it and I think it was a big mistake."
Seale, who has taken a pro-choice stance, said, "Except where the life of a mother is involved, where her safety is jeopardized, I think late-term abortions should be banned."
Gibbons is pro-choice but said late-term abortions are "reprehensible" if done for birth control.
The trio was questioned how all the babies would be taken care of if abortions were not allowed. Cafferata said, "I think babies belong in families and that's where they get taken care of."
Gibbons said it is a tragedy that every child doesn't have two parents. "We ought to be responsible for those children who are unfortunate enough to have not been born into a loving family," he said. "It's a decision that we all have to make."
Seale said he and his late wife never had any children and they tried to adopt but were unsuccessful. "The system now works that one can adopt more easily and we need to encourage that and we need to encourage good foster homes and good orphanages."
The three opposed the ban on assault weapons. As a life member of the National Rifle Association, Cafferata said she would vote to repeal the assault weapons ban and she never would have supported the Brady gun bill.
Gibbons said the assault weapon ban has not stopped criminals from getting access to guns. Seale said, "Ban criminals, not assault weapons." He said there is a need to educate people so they can get good jobs and not resort to crimes for money.
They agreed that English should be the official language of the country. Cafferata, who resigned as Lander County district attorney effective Monday to campaign full time, said, "We are not a multicultural country. We're Americans."
She predicted the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn an Arizona law that requires English to be spoken in government offices. And she said a constitutional amendment is needed to invalidate the court ruling.
Gibbons said English is the "one thing that unites the country."
"If we make a number of various languages in this country, we have torn apart the fabric ... we have separated each from ourselves," Gibbons said.
Seale told of growing up in Los Angeles on the edge of a Spanish-speaking neighborhood. He learned to speak Spanish, but the schools taught in English and he said he wants that to continue.
On the flat tax, Seale said the current system is "totally unfair." But he said there has to be a lot of decisions made on what will be allowed for deductions, how much will be collected. As a certified public accountant who has been out of the business for five years, Seale said he had to hire a CPA to do his taxes this year.
"There is something dreadfully wrong," Seale said, referring to the complexities of the present system.
Cafferata said she favors the flat tax with deductions for homeowners, charities and state and local taxes. Gibbons said he would abolish the Internal Revenue Service and wants a fairer and flatter tax.
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