FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alexis Guild, 301-565-4154
July 1, 2005
NARAL PRO-CHOICE MARYLAND URGES PRESIDENT BUSH TO CONSULT, NOT CONFRONT, IN NOMINATION OF NEXT SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
Pro-choice Maryland residents mobilize in support of a moderate consensus nominee.
(Silver Spring, Maryland) – NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, the Maryland’s leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, issued the following statement in response to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s announcement that she will retire from the Supreme Court.
“Justice O’Connor has been a much needed voice of moderation on the Supreme Court. We commend her for standing up for women’s health and privacy rights. It is imperative President Bush replace her with a consensus nominee, whose views reflect those of the majority of Americans” said Ariana Kelly, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland. “He can follow the path of Republican and Democratic presidents before him and consult with members of both parties to identify a consensus nominee with broad support. Americans deserve a nomination process that keeps the Supreme Court independent, not a political power grab that will divide the country. But if President Bush chooses the course of confrontation and far right extremism, we’re ready to protect individual freedom and personal privacy.”
As part of its “Choose Justice” campaign, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland will activate a network of more than 5,000 members who will conduct petition drives, contact their lawmakers, distribute flyers and information on the significance of a Supreme Court vacancy and the need for a moderate justice who respects this country’s long tradition of personal freedom and personal responsibility. They will urge President Bush to consult with both parties and nominate a justice who understands the profound impact her decisions will have on the lives of everyday Americans.
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