As a vote on the Supreme Court nominee loomed closer, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser sent a letter to each Senator urging him or her to vote against the confirmation of Elena Kagan. Citing Kagan’s direct influence in the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s (ACOG) statement on the medical necessity for partial birth abortion in 1996, Dannenfelser questions whether Ms. Kagan would be objective in court cases concerning abortion. The following was sent to each U.S. Senator:
Senator Daniel K. Akaka
141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Dear Senator Akaka,
I write to you on behalf of the Susan B. Anthony List, a woman’s pro-life advocacy organization with over 280,000 members nationwide. We strongly oppose the confirmation of Elena Kagan as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The recent revelation of her influence in the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s (ACOG) statement on the medical necessity for partial birth abortion in 1996, arouses deep concern over her objectivity in weighing factual information concerning abortion.
In her role as associate White House Counsel to President Clinton, Ms. Kagan recommended that ACOG add language indicating that partial birth abortion “may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman.” This was in direct contrast to ACOG’s draft statement that indicated that they “could identify no circumstances under which procedure… would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman.” It is our view that a willingness to bend medical facts to support an ideological point of view is inconsistent with the temperament required of a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
From the outset of the Senate hearings, we were concerned that Elena Kagan be held to the standard of interpreting the Constitution, as opposed to advancing a personal ideological preference. Her behavior in the ACOG matter, as revealed through the hearings, warrants her opposition by the United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Dannenfelser
President, Susan B. Anthony List
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