Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sotomayor: Pro-Abortion, Anti-Gun

Information is starting to come out indicating that Sonia Sotomayor shares Barack Obama's pro-abortion and anti-gun-rights views. Those views could hurt her chances of being confirmed, as some Democratic Senators who have claimed to be pro-life and/or pro-Second Amendment may have difficult times explaining to constituents why they supported her.

Note: On my DraftPalin2012 blog, I'm printing some controversial comments about the death of abortionist Dr. George Tiller. Would love to see your comments

Senators who have taken some pro-life positions in the past include Tim Johnson of SD and Bob Casey of PA. Senators who have been pro-gun include (amazingly) Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders of VT, Jacob Tester and Max Baucus of MT, Nick Begich of AL, and PA's Casey. Kirsten Gillibrand of NY was pro-gun when she represented a conservative district but has now apparently switched miraculously to being a gun-control advocate. (In the House, which has no say in Sotomayor's confirmation, 105 Democrats recently voted for pro-gun legislation related to concealed carry.) The two Senators from NM (Bingamen and Udall), a pro-gun state, are wild cards. However, they tend to vote slavishly with Obama.

Tomorrow I'll write more about Sotomayor's bizarre judicial opinion stating that the Second Amendment does not apply to states. (The Supreme Court decision that the Bill of Rights applied to the states was resolved early in the 19th century, a precedent Sotomayor apparently missed in her days at Yale Law.)

Today, I'm reprinting reports from LifeNews.com on Sotormayor's pro-abortion stance.

White House Says Obama Comfortable With Sonia Sotomayor's Abortion Views
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a lengthy press conference late Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs fielded more than 40 questions about where Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stands on the issue of abortion. Gibbs reiterated that President Barack Obama did not ask Sotomayor directly about her abortion views but talked enough about legal theory with her that he feels comfortable with her abortion stance. "In their discussions they talked about the theory of constitutional interpretation, generally including her views on unenumerated rights and the Constitution and the theory of settled law," he said. "He left very comfortable with her interpretation of the Constitution being similar to that of his, though the bulk of the conversation was about her approach to judging." Gibbs largely ducked questions about Sotomayor's abortion views or her position on a so-called "right to privacy" that has been used to validate abortion. He retreated to his boilerplate language saying that Obama and Sotomayor have essentially the same outlook on the Constitution. "He felt comfortable that they shared a philosophy on that interpretation ... [of] the living document of the Constitution of the United States of America," he added. Full story at LifeNews.com

Abortion Advocates Point to Supreme Court Brief Showing Sotomayor Backs Roe
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With both sides of the abortion debate desperate to get their hands on anything that would give an indication of where Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stands on abortion, abortion advocates are pointing to a Supreme Court brief written 20 years ago as evidence she's alright for them. In the late 1980s, Sotomayor, then an attorney and not yet a federal judge, sat on the board of directors of a group now called Latino Justice. While sitting on the board, the group, called the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund at the time, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging support for abortion. The brief came in the Webster v. Reproductive Health Services case where the high court did not overturn Roe but did allow a Missouri state law limiting abortions to pass constitutional muster. The PRLDEF sided with other abortion advocates and essentially argued that Hispanic women would be discriminated against if the Supreme Court overturned Roe and abortion were prohibited. The brief claimed women would resort to illegal abortions should that happen. Full story at LifeNews.com

Note: Democrats for Life of America will hold their annual conference and Hall of Fame dinner on July 14 at the Phoenix Hotel in Washington. Meet pro-life Democrats! See http://www.DemocratsForLife.org for more information on the conference and dinner.


Pro-Abortion Senator, Ex-Law Partner: Sonia Sotomayor Will Support Roe v. Wade
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As advocates on both sides of the abortion debate wonder where Sonia Sotomayor may come down on the controversial Roe v. Wade case, a former law partner and the top pro-abortion member of the Senate have no doubt that she will side in favor of upholding the decision allowing more than 50 million abortions. Sotomayor, whom pro-abortion President Barack Obama named to the Supreme Court to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice David Souter, has little in the way of an abortion record. However, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has long been one of the top abortion advocates in the Senate, says she has little doubt Sotomayor will back abortion. "I feel as comfortable as I could possibly feel," Boxer told the Washington Post. Someone who can make a more certain prediction is George Pavia, senior partner in the law firm that hired Sotomayor as a lawyer before her days on the bench. He told the Post there is no doubt Sotomayor is pro-abortion. "I can guarantee she'll be for abortion rights," Pavia said. Full story at LifeNews.com

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