MARAL PRO-CHOICE MICHIGAN URGES SENATE TO OPPOSE JUDGE JOHN ROBERTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2005 MARAL PRO-CHOICE MICHIGAN URGES SENATE TO OPPOSE JUDGE JOHN ROBERTS Pro-choice Michiganders mobilize in opposition to appalling choice for Supreme Court(Lansing, MI) – MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan, the state’s leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, issued the following statement in response to President George W. Bush’s announcement of the nomination of U.S. Court of Appeals Judge John Roberts to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge John Roberts is a divisive nominee with a record of seeking to impose a political agenda on the courts, rather than a unifier Americans could trust to preserve our personal freedoms like the right to privacy and a woman's right to choose. “We are disappointed to hear of the nomination of Judge Roberts,” said Rebekah Warren, MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan Executive Director. “We had hoped that President Bush would consult with both parties and nominate a justice who understands the impact that their decisions have on people’s everyday lives, meets the highest ethical standards, and has a demonstrated record of commitment to protecting individual liberties, including the right to privacy and a woman’s right to choose.” Instead, our President has chosen to nominate someone openly hostile to Roe v. Wade, which almost two-thirds of Americans support.” “As citizens of a state with a pre-Roe criminal ban on abortion and an extremely anti-choice state legislature, we are all too aware that the U.S. Supreme Court is our last line of defense when anti-choice laws are passed in state government and Congress”, said Warren. The next Supreme Court Justice will be faced with decisions that we will all have to live with for generations and we believe that the American people have a right to know where nominees stand on important constitutional issues before they are confirmed. With this in mind, MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan is taking the confirmation battle back to the grassroots, educating the public about this serious threat to Roe v. Wade, collecting signatures to thank pro-choice Senators Levin and Stabenow for their support and to urge them to keep fighting for reproductive freedom. As part of its “Choose Justice” campaign, MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan will activate a network of thousands who will conduct petition drives, contact their lawmakers, and distribute flyers and information on the significance of a Supreme Court vacancy as well as the need for a moderate justice who appreciates this country’s long tradition of respecting personal freedom and personal responsibility. Some of the lowlights of Judge Robert’s background include: * As Deputy Solicitor General, Roberts argued in a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court (in a case that did not implicate Roe v. Wade) that “[w]e continue to believe that Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled…. [T]he Court’s conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an abortion… finds no support in the text, structure, or history of the Constitution.” * In Rust v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court considered whether Department of Health and Human Services regulations limiting the ability of Title X recipients to engage in abortion-related activities violated various constitutional provisions. Roberts, appearing on behalf of HHS as Deputy Solicitor General, argued that this domestic gag rule did not violate constitutional protections. * Roberts, again as Deputy Solicitor General, filed a “friend of the court” brief for the United States supporting Operation Rescue and six other individuals who routinely blocked access to reproductive health care clinics, arguing that the protesters’ behavior did not amount to discrimination against women even though only women could exercise the right to seek an abortion. * The Court was so accustomed to the Solicitor General and the Deputy Solicitor General arguing for the overturn of Roe that during John Roberts’s oral argument before the Supreme Court in Bray, a Justice Asked, “Mr. Roberts, in this case are you asking that Roe v. Wade be overruled?” He responded, “No, your honor, the issue doesn’t even come up.” To this the justice said, “Well, that hasn’t prevented the Solicitor General from taking that position in prior cases.” For more information, contact Kelly Hamilton, Political Director of MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan at 517-327-4707.
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