Pubdate: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 1999 Associated Press Author: Katharine Webster MCCAIN SAYS HE'S TALKED EXTENSIVELY WITH HIS CHILDREN ABOUT DRUGS CONCORD, N.H. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday that he had talked extensively with his children about illegal drugs and joked that he had told his 13-year-old son "I'd beat him within an inch of his life" if he used them. More seriously, McCain said, "I'm aware of the temptations young people are exposed to. I hope my children will not be tempted -- and I say that with the full knowledge that some very wonderful families and very loving parents have children who have fallen prey to that." A day after former first lady Barbara Bush said she had never asked her son, front-running Republican candidate George W. Bush, whether he had used cocaine, McCain was asked whether he had talked to his own children about illegal drugs. He said drugs were not a problem when he was growing up, but he is aware of the dangers they cause in today's society and that is why he chose to talk to his children about them. Joking with reporters, he said, "I told my 13-year-old son I'd beat him within an inch of his life" if he used drugs. McCain, who has seven children, has said that he never used illegal drugs. At the wide-ranging news conference, McCain attempted to clarify his position on abortion. "I had assumed a 17-year record of pro-life voting -- and that's what people really care about, voting, not talking -- would have established my credentials as a pro-life person," he said. If elected president, he said he would "immediately support efforts to move in (the) direction" of a constitutional amendment banning abortion. "The bottom line is I support the pro-life position; I believe life begins at conception." At the same time, he said, he worries about deep divisions in American society over abortion. "I'm concerned we can't work together to eliminate abortion, because it's a terrible situation," he said. He advocated decreasing legal abortions by encouraging adoption, continuing welfare reforms that discourage out-of-wedlock births and improving foster care. McCain alarmed antiabortion activists last week when he said he would not support immediate passage of a constitutional amendment banning abortions, because women would seek illegal and dangerous operations. After an outcry, McCain reiterated his general support for an amendment, but did not put a timeline on it. An editorial in The Union Leader of Manchester this week accused him of "trying to cater to both sides on a divisive issue," and a cartoon showed his tour bus zigzagging across the state from "Pro-Life Village" to "Pro-Abortion Notch." The criticisms represent a serious challenge to the Arizona Republican, who is considering skipping the Iowa caucus and is focusing much of his attention on New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea