hanneblank (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} hanneblank) wrote,@ 2005-07-29 10:57:00 |
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Reposted from the KAISER DAILY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH REPORT
A service of kaisernetwork.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyrepor
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is my Senator, and she will be getting a thank-you letter in the mail from me pronto. If you are an American and are concerned with the upcoming confirmation hearings in regard to the Supreme Court vacancy and their potential impact on reproductive freedoms (as well as personal privacy and many other related issues), I strongly recommend that you contact your Senators as well. Pointing out the good example set by Sens. Mikulski, Feinstein, Stabenow, Murray, Landrieu, Boxer, and Clinton may encourage other elected representatives to join them in their efforts.
And if one of the Senators involved is your Senator, do consider writing her to say "well done!" Support is important... and when you consider that most of the letters people write to their elected officials are complaints, I should think that occasional bouts of praise mean that much more.
A service of kaisernetwork.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyrepor
Reposted from the KAISER DAILY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH REPORT
A service of kaisernetwork.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/reproductivehealth
National Politics & Policy | Seven Female, Democratic Senators Insist Supreme Court Nominee Roberts State Abortion Views Prior to Confirmation
[Jul 29, 2005]
Seven female, Democratic senators on Thursday during a press conference said they will insist Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts state his opinion on privacy rights -- including his views on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that struck down state abortion bans -- before he is confirmed, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29). Some observers say Roberts could tip the balance of the Supreme Court on the issue because retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the deciding vote in several cases that upheld abortion rights. Roberts, who in 2003 was confirmed as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, has never written a legal opinion on the issue as a judge (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 7/28). At the press conference, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said the lack of documents on Roberts leaves "some confusion where he stands" on privacy rights, including abortion, adding, "There can be no confusion" (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29). Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said, "I want to hear a nominee say that the [right to privacy] is the basis for their philosophy," adding, "If an individual says that, then I will be convinced that they truly believe in the right to privacy and will not be a member of the Supreme Court that will unsettle Roe v. Wade." Cantwell acknowledged that the request amounts to a "litmus test," the Washington Times reports. When the group of senators were asked if they would support Roberts' confirmation if he were to say Roe was wrongly decided, Boxer said she would find it "impossible" to approve his nomination, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said she would not speculate on her vote before the hearings. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) did not say whether she would support Roberts in that circumstance, but said that senators are interested in more than just abortion rights (Hurt, Washington Times, 7/29).
Web Site, Other Involved Senators
The group of senators on Thursday also announced the creation of a Web site -- http://democrats.senate.gov/askroberts-- dedicated to seeking public input on what questions should be asked during Roberts' confirmation hearings, the Oakland Tribune reports. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) also participated in the press conference (Richman, Oakland Tribune, 7/29). Although Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was not at the press conference to announce the Web site, Mikulski said it has her support (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29).
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is my Senator, and she will be getting a thank-you letter in the mail from me pronto. If you are an American and are concerned with the upcoming confirmation hearings in regard to the Supreme Court vacancy and their potential impact on reproductive freedoms (as well as personal privacy and many other related issues), I strongly recommend that you contact your Senators as well. Pointing out the good example set by Sens. Mikulski, Feinstein, Stabenow, Murray, Landrieu, Boxer, and Clinton may encourage other elected representatives to join them in their efforts.
And if one of the Senators involved is your Senator, do consider writing her to say "well done!" Support is important... and when you consider that most of the letters people write to their elected officials are complaints, I should think that occasional bouts of praise mean that much more.
