NARAL Pro-Choice America Issues Report on Alito and Women's Reproductive Freedom

Washington, DC – As the Senate prepares for hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, NARAL Pro-Choice America has issued a new report that documents Alito's record on women's reproductive freedom and what threats he could pose to the principles of Roe v. Wade if he is confirmed.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the organization's analysis of the nominee's record demonstrates that, if Alito is confirmed to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court, he will have ample opportunity to dismantle or even overturn Roe v. Wade.

"This report outlines why our cherished rights depend on judges who share our values: freedom and personal responsibility, and a legal philosophy that government and politicians shouldn't insert themselves into our most personal, private decisions," Keenan said. "Samuel Alito has tried to ensure that without explicitly overturning Roe, Roe is no longer understood to be a guarantee of reproductive freedom and justice. The nomination of Alito tests whether Roe will be a mantelpiece memory, or a meaningful part of our Constitution. Americans know that Alito's legal philosophy would result in an America in which 'the constitution does not protect a right to an abortion.'"

Keenan said the initial report on Alito reflected the organization's role as the nation's leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman's right to choose, including the commitment to providing insightful analysis of the status of women's reproductive rights.

“For 15 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has chronicled the erosion of reproductive rights in our annual publication, Who Decides? The Status of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States,” Keenan said. “Liberty at Risk builds on this record and chronicles the status of and threats to reproductive freedom now. The report goes beyond the question of whether Roe stands or Roe falls, and asks whether the country can accept a justice who endorses more and more incursions on Roe’s central principles.” 

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032