Supreme Court Vacancy Provides President Opportunity to Nominate Strong Voice for Reproductive Rights
Today, news reports surfaced that Supreme Court Justice David Souter plans to retire at the end of the term in June. The Center for Reproductive Rights urges President Obama and Congress to ensure that candidates named to replace him will affirm recognized constitutional rights, including women’s right to choose an abortion.
According to Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, “Justice Souter has been a consistent supporter of abortion rights. His departure provides a critical opportunity for the President to nominate someone who has a strong understanding of and voice on the realities of women’s lives and to deliver on his stated commitment to nominate justices with ‘empathy,’ who understand the real life experiences of people.” The last Supreme Court decision on abortion, Gonzales v. Carhart, was 5 to 4 and diluted the protections previously afforded to women’s reproductive health. “Any new Justice appointed to the Court should also understand that reproductive rights are fundamental rights based on the understanding of the importance of reproductive health and reproductive self-determination to women’s lives,” said Northup. “These principles are at the core of a woman’s fundamental well-being and place in the world.”Continued Northup, “Since Justice David Souter joined the bench in 1990, there’s been a substantial shift in the acceptance and protection of reproductive rights worldwide. More countries, courts, and human rights bodies around the world have recognized that reproductive rights are human rights. Even countries that have historically neglected women’s reproductive health and freedom have affirmed that women’s health is vital to their societies’ health and committed to justice.“With the Court’s last 5-4 decision, the protection for women’s constitutional right to abortion is precarious. We trust President Obama will nominate a Justice who is committed to the principles and promise of Roe v. Wade.”