Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia appeared in a televised debate on Sunday with ACLU president Nadine Strossen, during which he reaffirmed his anti-abortion and anti-gay rights stance. Scalia believes that abortion and gay rights were never intended to be a part of the Bill of Rights, which is “why abortion and homosexual sodomy were criminal for 200 years,” the conservative judge told the 1,500 member audience, according to USA Today. During the debate, Scalia articulated his “textualist” approach to ruling on Court decisions, in which he tries to interpret the Constitution within its 18th century framework, Jurist reports.
Justice Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986 by President Reagan and continues to be one of the most conservative judges on the Court. He is well-known for his anti-abortion stance, and has said in the past that he would overturn Roe v. Wade if given the opportunity, according to NARAL Pro-Choice America.
