Keenan delivered the speech, "Personal Freedom and Personal Responsibility from the Supreme Court to the CVS," at the Woman’s National Democratic Club in Washington, DC.

In it, she directly addressed Senator Bill Frist’s call this morning to reconsider the "nuclear option" in the United States Senate: "Of course," Keenan said, "there are some people who don’t want to see America united. Senator Frist’s resurrection of this partisan power grab scheme is the most bad-faith kick-off imaginable to a potential Supreme Court debate. Americans want to be brought together around this decision, but Bill Frist wants to divide our country to serve his own political goals."

NARAL Pro-Choice America has launched "Choose Justice," a campaign aimed at mobilizing the organization’s 800,000 activist members and utilizing its 27 state-based affiliates. Nearly 30,000 Americans in all 50 states have signed up to serve as Rapid Responders in the event of a Supreme Court retirement. They will organize online and field efforts ranging from writing letters to newspapers, calling into radio talk shows, and participating in traditional campaign-like events to raise awareness of what’s at stake with a vacancy on the nation’s highest court.

Keenan said the presumed Supreme Court vacancy would highlight the need for moderate justices who understand the profound impact their rulings have on the lives of ordinary Americans. She cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade and Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965—which legalized the use of birth control—as seminal rulings that established the precedent of the constitutional right to privacy.

Additional excerpts of Keenan’s speech follow:

"If Chief Justice Rehnquist retires, George W. Bush, will face as significant a decision today as he has during his Presidency – the choices he makes about the Supreme Court will affect the lives of every American for generations to come. My message to him today is simple – Mr. President, do the right thing. Ignore the loud and well-funded voices clamoring for a partisan choice, and use this opportunity to unite our country.

"Pro-choice Americans stand ready to oppose your nomination with all the fervor we can muster. We’ve got tens of thousands of people mobilized to lead grassroots campaigns in hometowns from coast to coast. But if the president reaches out to Senate Democrats and chooses a nominee who will protect individual freedom, we will stand down and join you in bringing America together.

"The consensus-building approach sounds radical to some in Washington, DC, because people in this city have grown accustomed to unending partisan warfare. But it’s the way most presidents have operated. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch tells the story of how President Clinton listened to his recommendations in making his two Supreme Court nominations. Presidents Bush and Reagan followed similar courses in choosing Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and David Souter.

"Why should the President consult? Because the Supreme Court is unique. The nine justices serve lifetime appointments, and make decisions of vast importance. The orderly working of our legal system requires that we all trust their decisions are not the product of political calculation, but of thoughtful legal reasoning about how their votes will affect the lives of everyday families. The best way to assure that trust is to choose nominees in that same non-partisan spirit.

"The Supreme Court is the institution we count on most to protect the most precious aspect of our national heritage – the individual liberties enshrined not only in the Constitution, but in every American heart. Politicians will always seek to intrude on one form of freedom or another, as they always have. And we must remain certain that the Court is filled with individuals who have demonstrated throughout their legal careers that they have the guts to stand up for freedom.

"People sometimes forget how precarious our individual liberties are. But those of who work for reproductive freedom – women’s right to decide for ourselves when to bring babies into the world – know reality better than most. We know that it’s only been four decades, after all, since the Court recognized with certainty that there is a right to privacy, and that this right ensures that we may use birth control without government interference.

"We know as well that there are many in this country who want women’s personal family decisions to be made by politicians – people who believe we are not to be trusted with responsibility to address the circumstances of our own lives. We know that this faction is very close to seeking its ultimate goal – control over the Supreme Court. And we know that they are placing enormous pressure on President Bush to value their ideological fervor ahead of the American commonsense consensus," Keenan said.