Pro-Life, Pro-Abortion Groups Look to Coming Battle Over Supreme Court Pick

From http://www.lifenews.com/nat5014.html

Pro-Life, Pro-Abortion Groups Look to Coming Battle Over Supreme Court Pick


by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 1, 2009
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Now that President Barack Obama will be given his first opportunity to select a new member of the Supreme Court, both pro-life and pro-abortion groups are looking ahead to the coming battle. The fight will center on the Senate and whether pro-life members will filibuster the nomination.

Charmaine Yoest, the president of Americans United for Life, promised her group would help lead the charge against any pro-abortion activist Obama may name to the high court.
“We will work to oppose any nominee for the Supreme Court who will read the Freedom of Choice Act into the Constitution in order to elevate abortion to a fundamental right on the same plane as the freedom of speech," she told LifeNews.com.
Yoest said the jurist Obama names to the Supreme Court will tell the American public whether he is serious about reducing abortions or keeping it an unlimited "right" that has yielded over 50 million abortions since 1973.
“This nomination represents a test for a President who has expressed a public commitment to reducing abortions while pursuing an aggressive pro-abortion agenda," she said. "Appointing an abortion radical to the Court -- someone who believes social activism trumps the Constitution -- further undermines efforts to reduce abortion."
Jay Sekulow, the president of the American Center for Law and Justice, told LifeNews.com the retirement gives Obama his first chance to shape the court, most notably on abortion.
“The reported retirement of Justice Souter marks the beginning of President Obama’s legal legacy – a legacy that will move this country dramatically to the left,” he says.
“With reports that Justice Souter will step down at the end of the term, President Obama now has a green light to begin reshaping the federal judiciary. Based on the appointments at the Department of Justice, it’s clear that President Obama will name a Supreme Court nominee who will embrace an extremely liberal judicial philosophy," he said.

Sekulow called on Senate Democrats to allow an open process where questions about where the eventual nominee stands on abortion and key pro-life issues.
"Once a nominee is named and the confirmation process begins, it’s important that the nominee faces full and detailed hearings – with specific focus on the nominee’s judicial philosophy including how the nominee views the constitution and the rule of law," he said.
On the pro-abortion side, advocacy groups have already made it clear they will stand for nothing less than an activist who will legislate abortion from the bench.
"We're looking for President Obama to choose an eminently qualified candidate who is committed to the core constitutional values, who is committed to justice for all and not just a few," said Nan Aron, president of the liberal Alliance for Justice.

Related web sites:
American Center for Law and Justice - http://www.aclj.org

Americans United for Life - http://www.aul.org