Abortion Rights Backers Reassured On Sotomayor

Washington Post:

The White House scrambled yesterday to assuage worries from liberal groups about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's scant record on abortion rights, delivering strong but vague assurances that the Supreme Court nominee agrees with President Obama's belief in constitutional protections for a woman's right to the procedure.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[FrozenNorthObserver]

I smell a Trojan horse,
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/29/top-christian-right-figure-backs-sotomayor/

[catlegs]

the Bible thumpers all claim that abortion takes innocent lives, but the ONLY reference to when one becomes a living soul in the Bible is Genesis 2 paragraph 1:
"And God breathed into Adam's lungs his first breath of life and he became a living soul."
abortion may terminate a zygote, but it does not take the living soul.
BTW: late term termination is extremely rare. i doubt you'll find a woman anywhere that would terminate late just to terminate, it's only done for VERY serious reasons.

[RachelMc]

most clinics stop around 14 weeks give or take. good luck finding one that does late term and hope they have that loot cuz they will need alot of it.

[cougarsrus]

Catlegs (love the name) you just make too much sense. The radical right-wing lifers will never understand you.

[Chris]

How can a judge honestly say that they beleive in settled laws but also believe that the US consitution is a living breathing evolving document?

[HPdevotee]

I think that means basically, unless their is new and completing evidence/arguments against a current law then case law should stand.

It's like saying that they don't want to waste the courts time in rehashing old cases.

[Golden111]

Respectfully, unless a woman was raped- then if one knows already that one is incapable or unwilling to take the responsibility of creating a human being, why wouldn't one refrain from activities that could conceive a child?!?!? If there are those that are so worried about the welfare of the child after the fact, then please, do the honorable thing & give that child to a family that is desperately waiting to adopt one & will pay for all of the medical expenses associated w/ having the child(unsually a 5 -10yr waiting time for those wanting to adopt). Give the innocent children a chance to receive the love they deserve..love that we as 'intelligent' beings all deserve.

[RachelMc]

-some rapes aren't reported and some may even falsify a rape charge. will u be the one to grill a woman and have her wait while u decide if she was really raped or not?
-how does the way in which the child was conceived matter? are the embryos or fetus still not "innocent"? so now women have to explain how the child was conceived if they would like an abortion.
-y would u want a person "unwilling or incapable of taking care of a child", TO HAVE A CHILD. guess who will suffer in the end. who r u really trying to punish?
-one other little problem. there are still plenty of children waiting to be adopted right now as we speak. obviously there aren't enough ppl willing to adopt (even if gays were allowed to which u probably oppose also) as there are ppl giving birth to unwanted children. plus most ppl only want to adopt up to a certain age. until all of the children that are already here are adopted AND taken care of, how about u refrain from advocating to ADD to that number.

[truthmachine]

"why wouldn't one refrain from activities that could conceive a child"

Uh, unless you have a hormone deficiency, you should know. Also, many young women are coerced into sex by men; it doesn't have to be rape.

"give that child to a family that is desperately waiting to adopt one"

There are vastly more unwanted pregnancies than qualified adoptive parents. Here's a hint, though: there are a lot of gay couple who would love to adopt but are not allowed to do so.

[cougarsrus]

In your fantasy world, yeah, but we don't live there. In the real world, things happen and having given birth twice myself, I do not want to live in a world where women/girls are punished for their indiscretions, which they don't commit by themselves by the way, by being forced to give birth to a child they neither want nor can raise. Yes, how nice, they'll just give them away, but it's just not that simple. Abortion is not a good thing, but a very necessary thing for women's helath and well-being. It MUST be kept safe, legal and rare!

[rich misty]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5395830/Abu-Ghraib-abuse-photos-show-rape.html

Hersh: Children sodomized at Abu Ghraib, on tape

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2004/07/15/hersh/index.html?source=refresh

My question to Republicans is simple. Do Republicans torture rape pregnant women until they abort?

[spiritpony1]

dear hp----some of the people on these posts have dropped out of their "anger mgmt" classes; it would be nice if the "debates between reasonable people" disagreeing and problem-solving remained on a thoughtful level----------used to be true at hp--------­deteriorat­ion factor sets in w/ the name-calling, folks------

[truthmachine]

You're the one name-calling; rich misty didn't (unless "Republican" is a pejorative).

[rich misty]

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2008/09/being-catholic-now/

Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Bobby Kennedy, was on NPR with interesting research data she collected writing her book "Being Catholic Now"

She states that abortions increase by 14% under Republican administrations and declines by 34% under Democrat adminstrations. The primary reason is that Republicans cut funding for se.x education, family planning, and pre-natal care for expectant mothers.

Kerry Kennedy is the mover and shaker behind Obama's abortion inititive. This is Obama's policy.

[spiritpony1]

if this is true on Kerry Kennedy, I appreciate the info. and thank you----

[Angelus2007]

I don't want Obama to reassure us, I want her to do it. Is she or isn't she against a womans right to choose?

[NCYvonne]

What kind of m0r0n are you? Don't you realize that this is the period when a SC nominate has to have a total media blackout??? She CAN'T tell you anything about her legal thinking now. Just like she CAN'T defend herself from those horrible right wing attacks!

Clue.

[judiNJ]

As well as President Obama himself. He cannot say what was said between the two of them. They have to skirt around the question and parse words. I can believe he was very careful in making sure she would not overturn Roe v Wade as he supports the right to choose.

[rich misty]

You have a lot yet to learn about politics.

[chocolatecity]

To choose to kill their babies. I hope not. It's a barbaric practice that even the non-religious should see as an assault on their morality. Birth control is one thing. That prevents pregnancies but to kill a living being because it is inconvenient is very low class. I would not shed one tear if the Supreme Court ruled it illegal. I know a lot of women who got abortions because they were careless and didn't want to take responsibility for it. Unless there is some health reason, I can't think of one justification for it. My own brother in law has asked at least two women to have an abortion. No real reason other than it was easier than stepping up to the plate. It is a disease in the black community.

[RachelMc]

obviously AA teen females cannot catch this disease since their birth rates are of the highest.

[truthmachine]

Making abortion illegal is barbaric and very low class.

[Doris]

I don't see why somebody can't just come right out and ask her the main question.

[NCYvonne]

Watching the last 10 SC confirmation hearings might give you a clue . . .

[HPdevotee]

Because it would be viewed as a litmus test.

[Lionsden]

Obama assures the right about Sotomayor? HAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHA­HAHA!

Is that like he assured us of transparency in government?

Or that we could read legislation before it went to a vote?

Or that he would release torture photos?

Or that he would end Military Commission trials?

Are his broken promises the way we are to be assured?

Obama is behind the times. CONSERVATIVES REJECTED the GOP in droves this year all why knowing that the party platform of the GOP is pro-life.

So what would make Obama think they wouldn't reject a LEFTIST pro-lifer?

LOL, silly, SILLY, democrats.

Barack Hussein Obama said:

“sunlight is the greatest disinfectant.”

Good grief, we will need all that global warming sunshine just to keep the White House clean.

[SportGirlie1]

what are you talking about? do you prefer the transparency of the Bush/Cheney administration? if you do, then you might feel more comfortable in North Korea...have a safe trip.

[OKnight]

he'd have to make parole first...

[OKnight]

telelprompter...

[NCYvonne]

>>Obama assures the right about Sotomayor? HAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHA­HAHA>>

Since when does the "right" support abortion rights?

Reading is fundamental, dude! Especially if you're going to base your entire post on something you didn't understand. LOL.

[jordan3189]

Don't worry liberals, I'm all for ki lling babies.........s. sotomayor.

[spiritpony1]

Dear H.P.---you should not have let jordan3189's post slip thru-----watch your editing and sticking to your principals­------than­ks

[jordan3189]

What exactly is abortion again? Truth hurts .....huh?

[PiscesPrincess]

if I tell you having an abortion is not about killing babies you wouldn't listen,
Late term abortions yes. but not early 1st trimester abortions. then it is a privacy issue.

[OKnight]

need a han,gur...

[spiritpony1]

This (hopefully) is reasonable news; I am disguested that BHO and vetters did not get clearer on this; he blew it. In any case, there will STILL be too many catholics on the court------6 if she makes it; that is TOO MANY of any ONE religion-----he should have appointed someone else--------he could still have gotten a female and a minority of competence who would NOT STACK THE COURT W/ ONE SINGLE RELIGION--I do not think he meant to do so-----but it was a judgemental error---

[NCYvonne]

Perhaps the president is not a religious big0t like you. Perhaps he considers the person's qualifications, their view of the constitution, their intellect.

Saying that he should have discriminated against her because of her religion makes you a creep.

[spiritpony1]

IT is not religious bigotry to say there is too much of ONE religion on the court----the country is NOT majority catholic--­-------the­re were a number of other good minority candates------the court could use BROADER representation ------jewish, yes, even muslim if there is a legally qualified one, etc.----------just as we do NOT need ALL WHITE MALES, WE DO NOT NEED AN OVERBALANCE OF ANY ONE RELIGION-------FOR THAT MATTER, AN ATHEIST OR AN AGNOSTIC IS OK ALSO-----

[PiscesPrincess]

maybe, in the past generation, the children educated in Catholic schools have been better educated. Now you see the results. I am not a Catholic. But the imbalance as you call it of Catholics on the court should not be any concern.
Judgement is a subjective thing.

[spiritpony1]

I do not debate the "education" of children so educated; judgement is often subjective; balance is NOT; again-----years of too many white males, too many of one religion is simply not desireable------ there is no point in turning this into a "catholic" vs. not cath. debate------that is NOT the point----

[DuPageDem]

Yeah, those ultra-right wing Catholic idealogues already on the court are real, real smart. Smart enough to watch Scalia and do whatever he does. Obama should just be done with it and appoint the Pope.

[HPdevotee]

I know for one that I was very glad to hear the reassurances from the WH yesterday. While I did not doubt that the President fully understood Judge Sotomayor's judicial philosophy, I know I didn't.

From the scant rulings she has on the issues that most effect women I was beginning to see a pattern of her 'siding' with what looked like right-wing policy. But on deeper inspection, the nuances came out.

She seems to favor established law and will rarely go against legal precedent which when done, is usually over-turned by higher courts anyway. So, unless there are some new, extremely compelling arguments that have never been heard before, case law usually stands.

I find this philosophy very intelligent and indeed, wise. Judge Sotomayor, will no doubt uphold the right to privacy ruling in Roe v Wade in keeping with this record.

Let's seat this Judge and move on to getting the FOCA enacted, I say.

[rockyb26]

Roe will NEVER be overturned, this is just speculation to stir up the left.

[Aabby]

If it wasn’t overturned in the last eight years, its sure as heck wont now.

[MadHeart]

You can bet that the catholic church and the fundies are going to be working very hard to upset Roe v Wade (I heard catholics leaders say as much on the meeting broadcast from Catholic Univ). It is of utmost importance to know what Sotomayor's stand is on this "settled law" vs her loyalty to the catholic church which had a huge influence in her growing up. Just as the catholic church worked against gay marriage in CA, they will do the same for Roe v Wade.

[NCYvonne]

fear monger much?

Your act is so played.

[MadHeart]

Maybe you should pay more attention and dig deeper. Women's choice should be protected, not played with by rightwing or religious groups.

[felisa11]

ik, I feel better about Sonia, let's get her confirmed and move on to other issues.

The repugs are irrelevant and quite shrill in their opposition.

Nobody should take a second of their time to listen to their madness.