THE DOCTOR IN THE LION'S DEN

By NINA BURLEIGH/WASHINGTON

Henry Foster countered family values with family values. The Christian Coalition had been running full-page ads against him that screamed "If You Liked [former U.S. Surgeon General] Joycelyn Elders, You'll Love Henry Foster." A spokeswoman for the Family Research Council, a conservative think tank, declared that anyone who votes for Foster "will regret it when it comes to election time." Indeed, Republican presidential candidates cannot afford to alienate the pro-life wing by allowing Foster to be confirmed as Surgeon General; and last week, Senate majority leader Bob Dole threatened to withhold a full-floor vote on Foster even if Clinton's nominee got through the Senate Labor and Human Resources committee. What was Foster to do? Speaking forcefully, he "set the record straight," saying the initial conflicting numbers on the abortions he performed were an "honest mistake . but there was never any intent to deceive." He added that in his 38-year career he had performed 39 abortions but that "most obstetricians" out in practice have, too." And then he talked movingly about his life and his work. "I am a doctor who delivers babies. My life's work has been devoted to bringing healthy lives into this world . I fear doctors who don't feel their patients' pain." He talked of his hardworking father and of his unschooled grandmother who stressed education. He shed a tear and showed anger at accusations that he knew of the Tuskegee experiments that withheld treatment from black men with syphilis. The two-day performance was a remarkable comeback for a nominee consigned just weeks ago to the valley of the shadow of death. By the end of last week, Foster had enough bipartisan support to break a threatened filibuster by Phil Gramm of Texas and Bob Smith of New Hampshire.

"I am certain he will be the next Surgeon General of the United States," said Ted Kennedy of the Senate Labor Committee, which will vote on his nomination within the next several weeks. "But he might have to be confirmed on a voice vote at 5 o'clock in the afternoon" to protect Republicans who support him from their right flank. "It's a triumph," says Mike McCurry, White House press secretary. "The fact that he's gone from dead-on-arrival to having a chance at confirmation is a stunning turnaround. Maybe every once in a while the good guy wins."

Nevertheless, White House head counters had identified only 50 Senate votes for Foster by the end of the week-still one short of confirmation. The Christian Coalition plans to lobby Senators until the vote. Dole too can refuse to bring the nomination to the floor. His taste for blood, however, is uncertain-despite his courtship of the religious right. No candidate wants to highlight the differences between moderate Republicans and the anti-abortion right.

The most surprising support for Foster came from Bill Frist of Tennessee. A heart-and-lung surgeon and conservative first termer who is against abortion, Frist startled Republicans and Democrats with sympathetic questions for Foster from the committee. Frist said he understands the problems obstetricians and gynecologists face treating low-income women. "I know he must have seen botched abortions, women coming in the hospital door, bleeding," said Frist, adding he was aware too of the segregation suffered by black doctors. "I'm the only person on that panel who knows what it was like in the South in the 1960s."