Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
Let’s just put it this way: Senator Arlen Specter should have kept
quiet.
His comments, made right after the election, about abortion, Roe vs.
Wade, and Supreme Court Justices, have infuriated people from coast to coast.
Though he has now tried to backtrack, his comments left the clear impression
that he did not want pro-life justices nominated. Now, a flood of messages are
coming in to Senators, urging them to prevent Specter from becoming the Chairman
of the Judiciary Committee, which bears key responsibilities in the process of
the confirmation of the President’s judicial nominations.
This is a welcome flood, and an appropriate response. After all, one
of the key motivating factors for voters has been the future makeup of the
Supreme Court. There will be vacancies, the President will make nominations, and
the future of Roe vs. Wade does hang in the balance.
In the midst of this battle, I am fully confident about a couple of
things.
First of all, I am confident that the President will choose the right
people to nominate. He knows the proper role of the judiciary, and the
difference between interpreting the Constitution and re-writing it.
He also knows the history of Supreme Court nominations (including those made by
his father) and is determined to avoid mistakes of the past.
Secondly, I am confident that the voters in Election 2004 will not let
this issue rest, but rather will make it clear to the US Senate that they will
not tolerate filibusters or bias against nominees who are well-qualified and
also happen to be Christian and pro-life.
The bottom line here is that nobody – not the President, nor his
nominees, nor the Senators – should hesitate to say what has to be said about
Roe vs. Wade. Not only is it an abominable decision, just from the legal
standpoint, but it is also a poison to the very fabric of law and justice. Dred
Scott, in fact, was a better decision than Roe, and did far less damage to our
nation.
Nobody has any responsibility to uphold Roe vs. Wade. As far as the
Church is concerned, it lacks all juridical validity. It should be denounced as
incompatible with the very principles on which America was built. It should be
condemned outright, and no adherence to protocol or invocations about the "law
of the land" should be allowed to obscure the fact that there is no room in
America for Roe vs. Wade.
We have spoken in the voting booth. Now, let us speak to our Senators,
loud and clear, so that the Court itself may return to upholding the principle
that is inscribed on the very stones of the Supreme Court building:
Equal Justice Under Law.
