BOSTON -- The first shots were fired yesterday in the Massachusetts treasurer's race as state Sen. Shannon O'Brien accused incumbent Joseph D. Malone of changing his position on a woman's right to choose an abortion.
O'Brien, D-Easthampton, said that Malone has softened his past stance on abortion for political gain.
In 1988, Malone ran for the U.S. Senate against Edward M. Kennedy and declared himself to be a pro-life candidate. But yesterday one of his spokesmen said Malone is now prochoice.
Malone lost the race to Kennedy, but was elected to his first term as state treasurer in 1990, the first Republican to hold the post in more than 30 years.
"All that Joe has said is that a woman's right to choose has been tested in the courts and is the law of the land," said Malone's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom. "Joe Malone is one of a whole generation of people that have changed their views on abortion over time."
The issue was brought to the forefront when O'Brien said on Monday that Malone has been a staunch opponent to any abortion rights legislation that has come though the statehouse.
Fehrnstrom denied that this was ever true and said that the treasurer's job has little to do with the controversial question of abortion.
A release from the Malone campaign said that "it's clear that Shannon O'Brien's campaign is going nowhere. Now she is resorting to issues that have no relevance to the treasurer's office."
O'Brien's own position as a pro-choice candidate has evolved over her career. In 1986, when she first ran for the legislature, she said she favored abortion only in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life was in danger.
But by 1988, as the political tide started to turn in the state toward a more moderate stance on abortion, O'Brien became a more vocal supporter of a woman's right to choose.
"Since then, she has had a very public voting record on her stance supporting the right to abortion," O'Brien's campaign spokeswoman Jacque Price said. "Unfortunately, Joe Malone has no voting record."
Price said that the issue is relevant and she "does not buy" that Malone's shift is the result of a gradual change in position.
"If that is so, why did Malone welcome and accept the endorsement of Republicans For Life at the state convention only four weeks ago," she said. "He is trying to ride the tide of popularity to get more votes."
Price also said that Malone's current position on abortion puts him in better position to run far higher office. Statehouse sources said that Malone may run for governor in 1998 or run against U.S. Sen. John Kerry in 1996.
"It has never been a secret that Joe Malone views this office as a stepping stone," Price said.
Malone becomes just the latest politician in the state to renounce support for the struggling anti-abortion movement. He received a great deal of support from anti-abortion groups in his 1988 and 1990 campaigns.
"Malone has sacrificed his beliefs at the altar of political expediency," said Arlene Champoux, legislative director of an anti-abortion group called Massachusetts Citizens for Life. "Anyone who puts belief in a conviction should not vote for him."
Champoux said that her group has more than 200,000 members in Massachusetts.
However, the political power of the group has diminished in recent years. In 1990, Champoux said there were more than 1,700 pro-life delegates at the Republican state convention. This year, there were between 400 and 500.
She said that the reason for the drop-off was because the group was not attempting to elect a pro-life governor this year. Gov. William F. Weld is a pro-choice Republican.
Champoux said that her group would not support any of the candidates for treasurer.
