Olympic Medalist Endorses Congressional Candidate

Little Rock boxer Jermain Taylor has made an endorsement in the Second District congressional race. Taylor, who won a medal in the 2000 Olympics, today endorsed Republican Marvin Parks. Parks is a three term state representative from Greenbrier. He is running in an attempt to unseat Democratic incumbent Vic Snyder, who is seeking a fifth term. The district covers central Arkansas. The 26 year old Taylor, a middleweight, says he supports Parks because of the candidate`s position on marriage and abortion. Parks favors a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and has criticized Snyder for his vote against a ban on partial-birth abortion except to save the life of the mother. Snyder says he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman but the proposed constitutional amendment sends a message of intolerance. He says the measure is unnecessary because the state already has a law defining marriage. A family doctor, Snyder says late term abortions, including partial-birth abortion, should be banned except when the doctor believes it is necessary to prevent the woman from having serious physical health problems. He said he would have supported the ban if it had included that exception.