Monday, October 31, 2005

SAMUEL ALITO FACTS

Named Monday by President Bush to the Supreme Court, Alito is:

Not a woman, which means Harriet Miers apparently was the only woman in the United States who qualified for the Supremes. Tough luck, ladies.

•Fairly young at 55.

•Born on April Fool's Day.

•Catholic, which would make him the fifth Catholic on the high court.

•A raging anti-Roe voice.

That last point will be much discussed over the next few days, so here's the background. Alito sits on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1991, he was the only judge on the Third Circuit to vote in favor of an anti-abortion law that required women seeking abortions to "inform" their husbands. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito said many reasons for an abortion -- "economic constraints, future plans, or the husbands' previously expressed opposition -- could be "obviated by discussion prior to abortion."

Is this the sort of legal mind we want on the U.S. Supreme Court?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Is this the sort of legal mind we want on the U.S. Supreme Court?"

Yes.

He voted in favor of a law that would make a woman tell her husband she was about to kill their child?

I'm thinking a father should be informed of something like that. I'm also thinking you disagree.

Anonymous said...

Sounds as though Alito has a good marriage. He and his wife probably share a fine relationship.

Pity, though, a woman who might be being battered by her husband...even raped by him...and does not want to bring a child into such a relationship. Telling a violent spouse about a pregnancy frequently leads to even more violence against a woman.

In a perfect world, abortion would not be necessary. If all children were wanted, loved, and were born and welcomed into a decent family situation, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

It's not helpful to cast such huge stones at women who have to make what is ALWAYS a difficult decision.

Peace,

Gay

Ron Davis said...

Anon: You're right. I disagree.

Anonymous said...

"Not a woman, which means Harriet Miers apparently was the only woman in the United States who qualified for the Supremes. Tough luck, ladies." Sorry rond, but the issue isn't 'qualified'-- none of the qualified women want to go through the current process. Men seem more interested in masochism than women.

Ron Davis said...

Anon: How do you know that "none of the qualified women want to go through the current process"? Besides the fact that women are smarter than men.