May 10, 2010. As reported by the Washington Post after the retirement announcement of Justice Stevens, “President Obama forcefully stated his desire to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who supports abortion rights.”
Bioethics Defense Fund takes the President at his word, and therefore presumes that Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan meets with the President’s stated agenda.
As reported in the Washington Post:
Asked whether he would consider someone who opposes abortion rights, Obama replied: “I am somebody who believes that women should have the ability to make often very difficult decisions about their own bodies and issues of reproduction.”
“I will say the same thing that every president has said since this issue came up, which is I don’t have litmus tests around any of these issues,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “But I will say that I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights, and that includes women’s rights.”
As a public-interest legal organization dedicated to advocating through litigation, legislation and public education against human rights violations such as abortion and it’s negative impact on women, children and families, Bioethics Defense Fund will continue to inform the public about relevant life issues in the upcoming hearings on the Kagan nomination.
What we’re reading:
- Karnblut and Barnes, Obama wants Supreme Court nominee who supports abortion rights (Washington Post, April 22, 2010).
- Ed Whelan, Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan: Initial Thoughts (National Review Online, May 10, 2010).