Healthy Living

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Does it really matter what Sonia Sotomayor thinks about abortion?

The topic of abortion has come and gone in Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings and I feel like I can exhale. 

It's not that the hot political issue was covered.   Senators on both sides of the aisle questioned the Supreme Court nominee and protesters screamed out from the stands, but Sotomayor refused to take a stance on whether she personally is pro-choice or not. Instead, in savvy and straightforward responses, she continually said she could not answer abstract questions about abortion.

When faced with a string of questions by Sen. Tom Coburn on abortion rights, viability, and Roe v. Wade, including a hypothetical question about late-term terminations, Sotomayor stood steadily neutral.

"I can't answer that question in the abstract. I would have to look at what the state's law was on that issue. Is the state regulation an undue burden?  I can't look at it as an abstract. I'm sure that situation might well arise before the court," she responded.

As a woman and a mother and a voter, I don't feel any need to dance around my own opinion about being pro-choice and wanting pro-choice politicians in office and judges in courtrooms. I want to ensure that my rights and the reproductive rights of women for generations to come are solidly backed by the law. However, I applaud Sotomayor for sticking to the federal and state laws rather than waving a pro-choice or anti-abortion sign in the air. This is, after all, her job -- not to stand on a soapbox to tell the world her personal opinions, but to sit behind the bench, hear cases, and interpret and abide by the law.

Despite all the questions, baiting, and need for viewers to hear her declare an abortion allegiance, she's kept it simple. She's been strategic. She's held strong. I like that.

A lot of people won't agree with me. In fact, an AP poll taken during two previous Supreme Court confirmation hearings showed that a slight majority of Americans believe nominees should have to state their views on abortion.

Why do you think this is?

If, as Sotomayor has revealed, President Obama never even asked what her stance is, and if her job is to adhere to "the rule of law", why do we so need to know how she personally feels about abortion?

Would your opinion of the Supreme Court nominee change if she openly declared herself pro-choice or anti-abortion?



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[Photo via Yahoo! News]
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From the Community…

Comments 101-110 of 156
  • SarahD's Avatar
    Posted by SarahD Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:21am PDT

    Yes, I want someone in there who is prochoice. Whether she sticks to the law or not, it will have some sway on her opinion.

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  • Angela's Avatar
    Posted by Angela Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:54am PDT

    Yeah, really, Clarissa.

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  • Malena's Avatar
    Posted by Malena Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:28am PDT

    This is a no when battle. Everyone wants to be right even if they don't know the real answer. There are shades of grey. When I go to read my name in the book of life and you are standing on the side of me telling God, "I told them Lord I told them," I prey he forgives you for trying to do his job. He is the one and only true Judge. His opinion is the only one that matters not yours.This reported did there job well,and I agree with them. Regardless if you believe in the Lord or not no one has the right to make yours or any body's personal decisions for them. They will never stand before you.They will have to deal just like you or I with their own choices that they made in life when they go before him.

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  • miss my family's Avatar
    Posted by miss my family Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:50pm PDT

    Abortion is murder. Pro choice is a choice for the woman and not the child. And disability and rape arent reason to abort. It doesnt matter if your child has a disability you should love it anyway. The baby didnt rape you and if you cant handle raising it give it away. And if it comes to the choice of your life or the babys how could you be so selfish as to say your life is more important than your baby. You've lived long enough to get pregnant whereas the babys had only a few months. And whos to say youll be living in a few month anyway what if you got hit by a car and died like 10 months after your abortion that baby could have had a chance at life when yours was cut short. In short just give me the child if you dont want it. Id raise it heck the duggars have 18 and i think thats a blessing.

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  • Z's's Avatar
    Posted by Z's Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:53pm PDT

    Posted by Colleen Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:53pm PDT

    Oh one more thing, the majority of Americans are NOT pro-death, it is only the noisy ones, with deaf ears....

    Great point, Colleen. It is also, not surprisingly, the angry, ego-centric, spiritually misguided ones, who, thankfully, do not make up the majority, they just seem to at this point.

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  • Colleen's Avatar
    Posted by Colleen Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:13am PDT

    Z's.........I challenge you to please go back, starting at post number 30, and read ALL of the arguments for the defense of human life against the lie of abortion to be a so-called answer to unwanted children, that I posted in response to this article. Then please try to make an intelligent comment to the questions that were presented.

    Almost everyone on here that replied to any of them, (except ONE, that is...fools_and_sages, whom I respect because that person didn't hurl personal "labels" and insults to avoid trying to defend their position.)

    So, Z's, I challenge you to read ALL of my posts so that you can understand fully the arguments that I presented to this dark mark on our nation to kill innocent fellow human beings for such, (maybe it could fit appropriately to quote your exact words here), "the angry, ego-centric, spiritually misguided ones"........ btw, how can you claim that one is "spiritually misguided" who defends the protection of human life?

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  • Colleen's Avatar
    Posted by Colleen Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:49pm PDT

    I am sorry, Z's.....I think that I misread your post to me! I AM sorry! It was quite early in the morning when I read it, at first read it seemed like it was sarcastic. I can't remember if there was anyone who didn't challenge things that I put.

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  • Z's's Avatar
    Posted by Z's Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:32am PDT

    Lol, Colleen. It's hard not to be defensive when this subject comes up, isn't it? It's difficult to wrap our minds around the fact that people actually defend the killing of innocents.

    I wholeheartedly agree with all of your posts, and I'm so relieved that there are still people like you in our world who recognize Truth.

    Have a great day!!

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  • Colleen's Avatar
    Posted by Colleen Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:13pm PDT

    Z's...I am relieved that you understand! How refreshing! Thank you!!

    Isn't it amazing how the problem of "adults" making decisions to kill tiny innocent humans through abortion, which has been and is still trying to be,... reduced to an argument for the "PROTECTION" [sic] of "law".....teeters on whether a nominee for the Supreme Court (Justice????) is "personally pro-choice or not" instead of;.... is that person like "lady liberty" proudly displayed in our court houses across our country??!!!....."blind folded (blind folded to their OWN PERSONAL OPINIONS) holding the scales of "justice" (TRUTH),...BALANCED!!!"

    I wonder what happened to the protection of the law being "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" which is the product of the defense of “truth - justice”;....denying these has unfortunately changed to the birth of… "death, restraint, and the surrender of happiness" (of "justice - truth") which is the product of “trying” to defend “opinions” which are many, being the result of the many personal formations and personal experiences??!!!

    How can this be "Justice"!!!??? I want to believe that those with the "culture of death opinion" will come to understand and defend real "truth - justice" again in our beloved country! I'm afraid that we are a country, right now, with blurred vision and ears that have been betrayed and seduced.

    Isn't it also amazing that "truth - justice" stands "clear" and "firm", even without having to mention Its author!

    Viva la,......"TRUTH - JUSTICE"........in our beloved UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!

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