NARAL PRO-CHOICE COLORADO STATEMENT ON JUSTICE SOUTER’S RETIREMENT
For Immediate Release Friday, May 1, 2009 Contact: Emilie C. Ailts NARAL PRO-CHOICE COLORADO STATEMENT ON JUSTICE SOUTER’S RETIREMENT Impending Supreme Court vacancy illustrates elections matter for reproductive rights, health care access DENVER (May 1) – Following U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s announcement that he will retire when the court adjourns for the summer recess, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Executive Director Emilie C. Ailts released the following statement:
"Justice David Souter's announcement of his forthcoming retirement is a stark reminder that elections matter: The decisions made by the nine justices who sit on the nation’s highest court have far-reaching consequences for the daily lives of every American. With this pending vacancy, President Obama has the opportunity to nominate an individual who, like the majority of Coloradans -- and in fact the majority of Americans -- supports the constitutional right to privacy as reflected in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
“Justice Souter’s absence means the four anti-choice votes represented by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas will be countered only by three pro-choice votes, those of Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and John Stevens. Justice Anthony Kennedy, regarded as the key swing vote on cases related to reproductive rights, has sided with Justices Scalia and Thomas in the last two major cases related to reproductive rights. Clearly, whomever fills Justice Souter’s seat will join a Court that has become more hostile to a woman’s right to choose.
"Just as clear, and more important, is the fact that the Court's composition underscores why it is critical for President Obama to nominate -- and for the U.S. Senate to confirm -- a successor who will uphold the fundamental American value of respecting individual freedom and privacy that prevents politicians from interfering in our most personal decisions.
"Since President Obama’s inauguration, anti-choice organizations across the nation have been solidifying their base in anticipation of today’s announcement. Make no mistake: The confirmation of President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee will not be allowed to pass without a divisive attack by those who oppose women’s freedom and privacy. NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado will not let their propaganda go unanswered. We will stand strong with America’s pro-choice majority to ensure the constitutional right to privacy is not curtailed."
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado (NPCC) is the political leader of Colorado’s pro-choice community. NPCC has more than 30,000 supporters statewide and works to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive health choices, including preventing unintended pregnancies, bearing healthy children and choosing legal abortion. More information is available at www.ProChoiceColorado.org. ###
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