Pop quiz: On the issue of abortion, is Congressman Jim Gibbons pro-life or pro-choice?

Most of you will probably assume the Republican candidate for governor is pro-life. After all, he has the lowest possible rating on abortion-rights issues (a big fat zero from NARAL Pro-Choice America). He doesn't believe in government funding for abortions; he supports parental notification. Sounds pro-life.

But when he was running for governor the first time, in 1994 against two pro-life candidates, Gibbons described himself as a "pro-choice Republican."

It was a bold position for Gibbons, who is a Mormon. It may even have helped him win the Republican primary, particularly among Republican women who believed in abortion rights, but it didn't push him over the finish line in the general election.

Being a "pro-choice Republican" separated him from both his Republican primary opponent, then-Secretary of State Cheryl Lau, and in the general election from Democratic Gov. Bob Miller, a pro-life Catholic who held the position that he opposed abortion except in cases of rape, incest and to preserve the life or health of the woman.

But the term "pro-choice" was open to interpretation.

The Reno Gazette-Journal at the time summarized it as meaning Gibbons "favors abortion on demand as a pro-choice Republican."

Twelve years later, Gibbons said that's not correct.

His position today is the same as it was in 1994, Gibbons said, rejecting any suggestion he has said one thing and done another when faced with abortion issues.

"I support existing Nevada law, and as a governor, I'll support Nevada law," Gibbons said. "I do not support government funding of abortions, and I do not support late-term abortions." (Frankly, I don't remember him saying that second sentence when I covered his race in 1994.)

In the midst of intense controversy about U.S. Supreme Court candidates and their abortion positions, and the possibility that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, Gibbons said he is seldom asked about his abortion position.

Despite his voting record in Congress, Gibbons insisted he hasn't flip-flopped. "I still say that I have not changed my position. I don't believe government ought to be making decisions for individual people."

Gibbons said he voted for ballot Question 7 in 1990, which said that a woman should have unrestricted access to an abortion in the first 24 weeks of a pregnancy and that an abortion could be obtained after that if a doctor decided it was necessary to preserve a woman's life or health.

Question 7 stirred deep passions and, after intense campaigning on both sides, passed with 63 percent of the vote, a clear sign Republicans and Democrats in Nevada supported it.

However, since Gibbons was elected to Congress, his votes have not supported "pro-choice."

Gibbons voted yes to ban "partial-birth" abortions and opposed family planning funding in the United States and abroad.

So among Republicans, if abortion is an issue to you, here's the skinny on the other top candidates for governor:

• Sen. Bob Beers wrote in an e-mail: "My position on abortion is that it is not a valid measure of candidates for Governor or Legislature. The voters put in place a strident pro-abortion law decades ago, and it can only be modified by a vote of the citizens. An abortion bill will not be presented for a governor's signature."

• Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, who is officially announcing her candidacy today, said, "I am a Catholic. On a personal level, I'm against abortion. But I do not feel that elected officials should be pushing their personal beliefs on the public. As an elected official, I'd be a pro-choice Republican."

On the Democratic side, it's easier.

State Sen. Dina Titus is pro-choice, and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson is pro-life. He's adopted Miller's mantra word for word.

So, was Congressman Gibbons playing straight with voters during his first gubernatorial campaign by embracing a "pro-choice Republican" tag, then voting against abortion rights issues?

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., no fan of Gibbons, doesn't think so. She said it was "dishonest and despicable" that Gibbons misled Nevada Republicans about being a pro-choice Republican when his votes have been anti-abortion.

Whether Gibbons was deliberately dissembling on abortion, people ended up confused about where he stood. After all, who among you thought Gibbons was pro-choice?

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0275.