According to a newly released questionnaire that Bush Supreme Court nominee, Harriett Miers, filled out in 1989, Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose are now in serious and imminent jeopardy. It turns out that Bush's stealth nominee opposes abortion in ALL cases except "to prevent the death of the mother." Not "health of the mother," please note. Not "in the case of rape or incest." Not in the first trimester. Not ever, except if a mother's life is in grave danger. According to Martha Davis, a law professor at Northeastern University and former legal director of a group that supports abortion rights, "If she's confirmed, the Bush administration will deliver what it promised to the religious right. The entire court shifts to the right on this issue." John Baker, a law professor at Louisiana State University, says that Miers "will not disappoint the president early out of the box" on Roe v. Wade.
The bottom line is this. Harriet Miers has made it clear, in writing: she favors a "Human Life Amendment to the Constitution." Based on her answers to the "Texans United for Life" questionnaire she filled out in Dallas, we can also conclude that - if confirmed to the Supreme Court -- Miers WILL vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. If that happens, the question of abortion goes back to the states, where each state legislature and governor will decide what to do about abortion. As the Associated Press reports, "[Miers] would shift the Supreme Court away from abortion rights, more so than new Chief Justice John Roberts. The impact could be almost immediate."
All this raises the question for the women of Virginia: "who do YOU trust more on abortion, Jerry Kilgore or Tim Kaine?" Let's review:
Jerry Kilgore: Responded that it was a "hypothetical" question what he would do if Roe v. Wade were overturned and he were Governor. However, Kilgore has received $35,000 from anti-abortion extremist Pat Robertson, and has stated that victims of rape and incest should be allowed abortions only if they report the crime within seven days. That's right, if you're a woman and you've been raped, Jerry Kilgore believes you must report that crime within a week or else you'll be forced to have the baby. Same thing if you're a girl who's a victim of incest. After seven days, you're out of luck. Sorry!
Tim Kaine: Is personally, religiously opposed to abortion, but has pledged to keep abortion safe, legal and rare. Further, Kaine has stated that he will not criminalize women and doctors.
With Roe v. Wade now in imminent danger, the choice for women in Virginia is clear -- Tim Kaine for Governor!