Reps. Harman, Lofgren, Solis Urge a Pro-Choice Supreme Court Nominee

REPS. HARMAN, LOFGREN, SOLIS URGE A PRO-CHOICE SUPREME COURT NOMINEE

WASHINGTON D.C.- Calling the 1973 Roe v. Wade case one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of their lives, Reps. Jane Harman (D-Venice), Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), and Hilda L. Solis (D-El Monte) today sent a letter to California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer expressing their strong support of efforts to ensure that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement votes to uphold a woman's right to choose.

"With Justice O'Connor's retirement, a woman's right to choose could be overly restricted or even eliminated. Should President Bush nominate an ideologue to fill the O'Connor vacancy, the health and safety of women throughout our country will be put in jeopardy. We cannot let that happen," the Members wrote in the letter.

"As you help evaluate the next Justice, we offer our unqualified support and express our utmost confidence that you will work tirelessly to ensure that a woman's fundamental right to choose remains the law of the land. We pledge to do whatever we can to support your efforts to protect these critical freedoms," they concluded.

The trio, all members of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, is organizing other California House Democrats to join them in their efforts. Also signing the letter were Reps. Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Susan Davis, Grace Napolitano, Ellen Tauscher, Lois Capps, Lynn Woolsey, Diane Watson, Barbara Lee, Doris Matsui and Juanita Millender-McDonald. The complete text of the letter is below.

Dear Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer,

As women of the California Congressional Delegation, we are proud to support your efforts to ensure that Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement to the Supreme Court upholds a woman's right to choose, a fundamental pillar of personal freedom.

We were all gratified when Justice O'Connor was appointed as the first female Justice to the Court in 1981. She has served our nation with great distinction, blazing a path for female lawyers and jurists across the nation. Moreover, her fair-minded and judicious decisions have provided a bulwark against those who would seek to sweep aside decades of judicial precedent to impose a personal moral order upon our country.

In 1992, the Supreme Court upheld the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that first established a woman's right to choose. In her opinion, Justice O'Connor wrote, "Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code." Her writings reflect what a majority of Americans believe - that the freedom to make one's own reproductive choices is a fundamental pillar of personal liberty, and that unreasonable attempts to restrict these freedoms are antithetical to our conception of democracy.

As early as this December, the Supreme Court will take up a case that will define the future of these rights. With Justice O'Connor's retirement, a woman's right to choose could be overly restricted or even eliminated. Should President Bush nominate an ideologue to fill the O'Connor vacancy, the health and safety of women throughout our country will be put in jeopardy. We cannot let that happen.

Roe v. Wade was one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of our lifetimes, one that is important to us all personally- not just in our capacity as public servants, but as women. As you help evaluate the next Justice, we offer our unqualified support and express our utmost confidence that you will work tirelessly to ensure that a woman's fundamental right to choose remains the law of the land. We pledge to do whatever we can to support your efforts to protect these critical freedoms.

Sincerely,

JANE HARMAN /ZOE LOFGREN/ HILDA L. SOLIS

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