1. Patient Confidentiality: Would you support a statutory requirement that parents must consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, when the current law already requires parents to be involved through a notification process?

Answer: I would not support this at all, and feel that even the notification requirement is wrongheaded and may lead tragedy.

2. Health Insurance Coverage: Would you support a requirement that health insurance plans include coverage for prescription contraceptives, where insurers are presently only required to make it available to plans?

Answer: I can't imagine why an insurance company would not make contraceptives partof their plan since it has to be cheaper than a pregnancy or abortion. It could be that the conservatives would not want to press this issue but it would probably save at least as many lives as the colo-rectal screening requirement. Yes I would support that.

3. Regulation of Medicial Practice: Would you support laws that would require a level of regulation to medical practices offering abortions that is above that required of practices performing other kinds of medical procedures?

Answer: As you are no doubt well aware, all of these moves are subterfuges for attempts to limit abortion availability and harass women and their physicians. Even to discuss them rationally legitimizes what are attempted end-runs around Roe vs Wade.

Al Weed (electronic mail, November 1, 2001).