By Dawn Eden | July 16, 2009
In a bombshell admission, Judge Sonia Sotomayor — who yesterday spoke of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund as being a “mainstream” organization — admitted she was aware that the group, on whose board she served for twelve years, fought common-sense regulations on abortion.
Responding to a question by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on the six briefs filed by the PRLDEF during her tenure as a board member there — briefs which argued that abortion was a “fundamental right” — she responded.
“I can’t answer that question, because I didn’t review the briefs. I did know that the fund had a health-care docket that included challenges to certain limitations on a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy under certain circumstances.”
One brief on the PRLDEF’s “health-care docket”argued against Ohio’s parental-notification law. It said:
that establishment and free exercise clause concerns also militate toward the invalidation of these abortion-specific notice statutes. If Justice Stevens is correct that the belief that life begins at conception is religious, [cit. omit.] then these statutes would seem to both reflect and accomplish state endorsement of religious beliefs. [cit. omit.] The Court would need to examine whether the ostensible secular purposes are “sham,” [cit. omit.] in light of the fact that abortion is singled out for notice from other, at least, equally life-shaping reproductive choices based on a purpose to save “lives”, and that parents who are religiously opposed to abortion are among its primary beneficiaries. It would also need to consider whether the state, through giving the parents confidential information (far more valuable here than financial assistance), has enhanced these parents’ ability to indoctrinate, control, or punish their minor daughters who choose abortion, and, thereby, has crossed the critical line between respecting the parents’ privacy right to inculcate religion in their children.
These are the views that Sotomayor now admits she knew she was promoting as a board member of the PRLDEF and as chair of its litigation committee. These are the views that the Supreme Court nominee considers “mainstream.”
AUL’s Sotomayor411.com has the full story on the PRLDEF briefs, including full-text links.
Hear Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President of Americans United for Life,Discussion & Goals in Questioning Sotomayor during the Senate Hearings
A message from AUL President, Dr. Charmaine Yoest:
AUL Senior Fellow Dawn Eden has done a terrific job live-blogging the Sotomayor hearings. Following her live-blogging will give you the latest information about these crucial hearings. You can help us by getting the word out to your friends and family. Encourage them to learn more by visiting Sotomayor411.com and the AUL Blog. Also, please visit our AUL Action website to find other ways you can take action on your concerns.
If you are on Facebook or Twitter, please take a minute to find me there. I will be “tweeting” from behind the scenes as we get ready for my testimony tomorrow. I would love to hear from you.
For Life,
Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President & CEO
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