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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Ted Miller, 202.973.3032

NARAL Pro-Choice America and NARAL Pro-Choice New York Announce Support for Sotomayor Nomination

WASHINGTON

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Kelli
Conlin, president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, today issued the
following joint statement announcing the organizations' support for the
confirmation of President Obama's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court,
Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

"President Obama made a sound choice in nominating Judge Sotomayor
to the U.S. Supreme Court. From the beginning, we have said her
nomination reflects the president's commitment to ensuring that
justices have strong legal credentials and understand how the law
affects everyday people's lives, including the need to keep politicians
from interfering in our personal, private medical decisions.

"As we outlined in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the fate of Roe v. Wade
hangs in the balance, and the addition of President Bush's appointees,
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, has moved the
court in a direction hostile to a woman's right to choose.

"Within the context of this change in the court's makeup, we have
examined Judge Sotomayor's responses to privacy-related questions. We
are pleased that Judge Sotomayor expressed stronger support for the
established constitutional right to privacy than either Chief Justice
Roberts or Justice Alito, both of whom had anti-choice records before
being nominated to their current positions. She also articulated
several times throughout the hearing that the constitutional right to
privacy includes the right to choose.

"In addition, we took into consideration the significant and strong
support her nomination has garnered from some of our most committed
pro-choice allies in the Senate as well as President Obama's consistent
record of support for Roe v. Wade and his established record of nominating to key posts individuals who share his principles.

"After engaging in this especially deliberate and thoughtful
process, we are pleased to have arrived at a position in support of
President Obama's first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court."

NARAL Pro-Choice America fights for reproductive freedom for every body. Each day, we organize and mobilize to protect that freedom by fighting for access to abortion care, birth control, aid parental leave, and protections from pregnancy discrimination.

(202) 973-3000