Hi, I would call myself very politically active and a solid Democrat, but I have been very disturbed to hear that Gore's record on abortion has not been exactly clear-cut, particularly during his early years in Congress. I guess I am afraid of another Flip-Flop when he chooses judges for the court. Does this concern you? Can you alleviate my fears? I have promised myself that I would never vote for a candidate who is not clear-cut on this issue, and now I am not sure I can vote for Gore. Am I misguided? Thank you for reading my letter, Robin Breeding

Thanks for your note. From what I can tell--and my opinion is informed by leaders in the pro-choice community, namely Voters for Choice and Planned Parenthood Federation of America--Gore is solidly pro-choice. But as his constituents, we have to remember that we have to continue to let him--and all candidates know how we feel about the issue.

For instance, I was at a luncheon a few years ago with CA Senator Diane Feinstein. This was in the midst of all of the so-called partial birth abortion debates. She got many calls encouraging her to vote for a ban on this procedure and only two encouraging her to vote against this ban. She trusted that her constituents wanted her to vote against it, but she admitted that given the calls, she was doubting where the people stood on the issue. She made the right decision, but we have to remember to be active citizens.

I hope that helps--and I hope that when each of us really speaks up about our opinions it will be impossible to be anti-choice.

—Amy