In tough questioning yesterday by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito did not disavow a statement he made in 1985 that the Constitution does not protect the right to a legal abortion. Alito did acknowledge this was his view at the time, but he would not distance himself from this statement, although he has distanced himself from other earlier views.
Earlier in the hearing, just as Clarence Thomas and John Roberts did before him, Judge Alito acknowledged that there was a right to privacy in the Constitution, stating, “I do agree that the Constitution protects a right to privacy.” But he refused to discuss whether it included a woman’s right to choose abortion.
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