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At one time in his political career, Gore opposed abortion. During his seven-year tenure in the House of Representatives, he voted "pro-life" 27 times and had an 84 percent pro-life voting record on abortion-related issues. In a May 26, 1987 letter to a constituent, he wrote: "During my 11 years in congress, I have consistently opposed federal funding for abortions. In my opinion, it is wrong to spend federal funds for what is arguably taking of a human life." In order to make himself politically viable as a member of the Democratic Party, however, Gore later reversed his position on abortion.