One of the country’s largest and oldest pro-abortion groups has officially endorsed Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America (also known as the National Abortion Rights Action League), made the endorsement in a statement released today.
“President Obama made a sound choice in nominating Judge Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court,” the statement reads. “From the beginning, we have said her nomination reflects the president’s commitment to ensuring that justices…understand how the law affects everyday people’s lives, including the need to keep politicians from interfering in our personal, private medical decisions.”
The group also said she more strongly embraced the Roe v. Wade decision than did Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, the previous two nominees to the nation’s highest court.
During her hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Sotomayor said all precedents of the Supreme Court were “settled law”, to include Roe v. Wade. But when pressed by Sen. Lyndsey Graham (R-South Carolina), she admitted that “The word abortion is not used in the Constitution.”
But she went on to say that there is a constitutional “right to privacy”, even though the word “privacy” is never mentioned in the Constitution. She claimed it came from the 4th Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable search and seizure, and the 14th Amendment, which provides due process under the law. However, the 14th Amendment also states that no person shall be deprived of life.
NARAL was apparently swayed by President Obama’s extreme pro-abortion record: “In addition, we took into consideration…President Obama's consistent record of support for Roe v. Wade and his established record of nominating to key posts individuals who share his principles.”
“After engaging in this especially deliberate and thoughtful process, we are pleased to have arrived at a position in support of President Obama's first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court,” the endorsement concluded.
