Republicans for Choice Oppose Alito

After research and analysis of Alito's own record and statements, the Republian Majority for Choice, a 150,000-member group that believes the right to choose is personal and not political, has announced its opposition to his nomination. Do you think the RMC will be invited to share their views on Fox or conservative talk radio? Unfortunately, moderate Republican groups like the RMC never get press because they don't fit the simplistic political stereotypes created by the conservative press. In order to oppose Alito, you must be a liberal who is "out of touch" with mainstream America.

In a piece I wrote about moderate Republicans after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired, Ann Stone, national chair of Republicans for Choice, a DC-based group that supports pro-choice Republican candidates, said: "It is mind-boggling to me that the press only focuses on right-wingers. Is it just because sensationalism sells? When moderates try to do something, it might get attention on NPR or in the Los Angeles Times, but the press here in Washington is pretty much ignoring moderates."

Here's the RMC statement:

There is no crystal ball to predict how a Justice Alito would rule in future cases; therefore we have closely monitored the confirmation hearings with the hope that Judge Alito would offer some clarifying statements that would allay our concerns about his record. Instead, he side-stepped the issue of whether or not the right to privacy in the Constitution extends to reproductive choice. He avoided answering whether Roe was settled law and existing precedent required a health exception to statutes limiting a woman's access to abortion.

The reality is that Judge Alito would not have to vote to overrule Roe in order to be the architect of the denial of a woman's right to choose. He could give lip service to respecting Roe while upholding the numerous legislative efforts to chip away at reproductive freedom. The cumulative result is that Roe v. Wade and its progeny are rendered meaningless.

But Judge Alito's position on choice, however, is not the only disappointment surrounding his nomination. The selection of Judge Alito sends a very clear message from the Bush Administration and the Republican leadership in Congress that they are willing to continue steering the party into a marginalized corner that puts it at odds with most voters.

Sadly, we have come to a point at which average Republicans are beginning to abandon the GOP policy and candidates. We have seen this in the public outcry concerning President Bush's opposition to stem cell research; we saw it last November in the Virginia gubernatorial race, and we will see it again this year if Republican candidates continue to promote extremist views. We pledge to continue our mission to promote common sense solutions to help lessen the incidence of abortion while ensuring that women and families maintain the safe and legal right to choose. We will no longer stand by while women's rights are used as a political soapbox for either party.