Gibbs: Don't Worry About Sotomayor on Abortion

Past rulings unrelated to her pro-choice stance
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted May 29, 2009 8:09 AM CDT
Gibbs: Don't Worry About Sotomayor on Abortion
This undated handout photo provided by the White House shows Sonia Sotomayor in 2009.    (AP Photo/White House)

President Obama nominated a candidate for Supreme Court with almost no record on abortion. Now, reports the Washington Post, he’s in the unexpected position of defending Sonia Sotomayor to his party’s pro-choice base. Spokesman Robert Gibbs went out of his way yesterday to suggest that Obama—who didn't specifically ask about abortion—is confident she agrees with the legal principles of Roe v. Wade. "He left very comfortable with her interpretation of the Constitution being similar to that of his.”

Sotomayor has ruled against the pro-choice position in a few cases tangential to abortion, but her rulings didn’t address the legality of abortion itself. Says a former employer, “I can guarantee she'll be for abortion rights.” Sen. Barbara Boxer, a top pro-choice advocate in the Senate, agrees. “I feel as comfortable as I could possibly feel.”
(More President Obama stories.)

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