Rep. West Claims Judge O’Connor’s Legislative Votes are Misinterpreted

Rep. Donna Carlson West, RMesa, a leader of Arizona’s pro-life and anti-ERA forces, has mounted a strong defense of Judge Sandra O’Connor against the attacks of right-wing groups. In a letter Friday to Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, RTenn., the five- term lawmaker said she was “deeply distressed” at the anti-abortion and anti- ERA opposition to Mrs. O’Connor’s Supreme Court nomination, and insisted there was nothing on her record “that warrants the many unfounded, untrue charges that are being raised .” Mrs. West explained several of the votes cast by Mrs. O’Connor as a state senator from 1970-74 were being misinterpreted by her rightist foes. SHE ‘l’O~D the Phoen-ix G¥ette ……… — her conclusions were based on a recent conversation with Judge O’Connor, in which she sought to clear up the jurist’s positions on several issues. While the judge backed a resolution aimed at ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, she conceded, so did two other conservative Republicans – Trudy Camping and Bess Stinson, both of Phoenix – who later became ardent foes. “Since 1975, Sandra has been on the bench and has not spoken out for or against the ERA,” Mrs. West wrote Baker. Judge O’Connor’s legislative opposition to various anti-abortion proposals was often for other reasons, Mrs. West added. She voted against one measure to ban abortions at Tucson’s Univer!ity Hospital be- • cause it was not germane to the original bill, a..1d opposed a pro-life memorial to Congress because of her “general