President Bush Blasted on Judicial Picks in New Pro-Abortion Ad
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 22, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Abortion advocates are making Presidnt Bush’s pro-life nominees to federal courts an election issue in the campaign for president. On Wednesday, twenty-four organizations, including several pro-abortion groups, launched a new ad that attacks Bush.
The television and Internet advertising campaign will "spotlight the extremist views and records of the [Bush] administration’s judicial nominees," the groups say.
The spot also asks viewers to contact members of the Senate and urge senators to vote against Bush’s picks for federal courts.
"This administration has shown that it will go to any length, violate any rule, and upset any precedent to pack the courts with anti-choice extremis," says Elizabeth Cavendish, interim president of NARAL.
"We must not allow these dangerous ideologues to make rulings over women’s reproductive rights and fundamental freedoms for a generation to come," Cavendish added.
The organizations got their wish on Thursday as the Senate voted to filibuster three more Bush nominees.
Senators could only muster a maximum of 54 votes in favor of three nominees to the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. To stop the filibuster and vote to confirm, 60 votes were necessary.
With the three votes, there are now 10 Bush nominees who have been prevented from getting a seat on a federal court thanks to filibusters by abortion advocates.
While President Bush has compiled a strong record nominating pro-life advocates to the federal courts, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has said he will appoint only abortion advocates.
"As President, I will only appoint Supreme Court Justices who will uphold a woman’s right to choose," Kerry said in his speech last September re-announcing his candidacy for president.
"The test is basic — any person who thinks it’s his or her job to push an extreme political agenda rather than to interpret the law should not be a Supreme Court justice," Kerry added.
The Supreme Court is currently divided 6-3 on the question of abortion. The addition of two pro-life justices would shift the court to a 5-4 majority in favor of extending legal protection to unborn children.
The coalition of groups running the new commercial against Bush includes such leading pro-abortion organizations as NARAL, NOW, Planned Parenthood, and the Feminist Majority.