Leading pro-life organizations are already weighing in on the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch. Top pro-life groups say if you like pro-life Justice Antonin Scalia then you’ll like him too.
Today, the National Right to Life Committee commended President Donald Trump for his selection of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by the February 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
“All too often, our efforts to protect unborn children and other vulnerable humans have been overridden by judges who believe they have a right to impose their own policy preferences,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “We are heartened that Judge Gorsuch appears to share Justice Scalia’s view that federal judges are constrained to enforce the text and original intent of constitutional provisions, and on all other matters should defer to democratically elected lawmakers.”
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Tobias said that, as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit since 2006, Gorsuch has not reviewed any state or federal abortion laws. However, he showed support for conscience rights in two cases involving Obamacare mandates. He dissented from a ruling hostile to Utah’s attempts to curb funding for Planned Parenthood (Planned Parenthood Association of Utah v. Herbert). Gorsuch’s 2006 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia argued against the legalization of assisted suicide, and defended the idea that “human life is fundamentally and inherently valuable, and that the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong.”
“Pro-life legislators and activists nationwide can have high confidence that as a Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch will not join those who have nullified past efforts to protect the lives of unborn children and other vulnerable humans,” said Douglas D. Johnson, Senior Policy Advisor for National Right to Life.
Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser also praised the Gorsuch selection.
“President Trump has made an exceptional choice in nominating Neil Gorsuch to carry on the legacy of the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court,”: she told LifeNews.
She added: “In nominating Judge Gorsuch, President Trump has kept his promise to nominate only pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. Judge Gorsuch is a distinguished jurist with a strong record of protecting life and religious liberty, as evidenced by his opinions in the Hobby Lobby and Little Sisters of the Poor cases, and in his doctoral dissertation in which he wrote that ‘human life is fundamentally and inherently valuable.’ In the coming days, we will mobilize the pro-life grassroots nationwide and in key Senate battleground states to urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Should pro-abortion Democratic Senators choose to filibuster this immensely qualified nominee, they do so at their own political peril.”
Family Research Council Tony Perkins, who attended the White House announcement, released the following statement to LifeNews.com:
“I was pleased to witness President Trump follow through on his promise and select a nominee from the list he presented during the campaign. The president has been very clear on the type of justices that he would appoint: textualists who will not issue rulings based on the shadows of the Constitution.
“In the third presidential debate, Donald Trump drove home his point about the type of Supreme Court nominees that he would select. I believe that moment in the debate helped sealed the deal with millions of social conservative voters. In fact, exit polling found that 21 percent of voters pointed to the Supreme Court as the ‘most important factor driving their vote’ and Trump won that group by 16 points.
“Judge Gorsuch’s record over the last 14 years, especially on religious liberty, gives Americans every reason to believe he will make a fine Supreme Court justice. His reputation as a judge with integrity and dedication to the Constitution should be an encouragement to all Americans.
“We are committed to working with President Trump and senators to help move the grassroots to gain the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch. This will be a battle but I am confident the president will get his nominee confirmed,” concluded Perkins.
“We want to express our thanks to President Trump for nominating a man of such stellar quality as Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “One of the reasons I endorsed Trump for president was because of the strong promises he made to pro-life leaders. Now, after less than two weeks in office, he is keeping those promises, and we are very encouraged. He has proved himself to be a man of his word.”
“We look forward to speedy hearings on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination, and urge the Senate to expedite his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Newman.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, the nation’s largest pro-life youth organization, released the following statement tonight following President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch:
“We are thrilled with Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the US Supreme Court by President Trump, who is continuing to fulfill campaign promises at a breakneck speed. A strict Constitutionalist and firm supporter of religious freedom and liberties dictated by the Founding Fathers, Judge Gorsuch is an excellent replacement for the late Justice Scalia, and one who has the potential to leave a powerful legacy.
“The Supreme Court was of great concern to voters this past November and the Senate should take swift action to confirm Judge Gorsuch to the high Court to ensure a full slate of Justices. The Senate unanimously confirmed Judge Gorsuch to the 10th US Circuit of Appeals and they should follow their previous example. We aren’t tired of winning yet.”
Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, told LifeNews:
“President Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch is confirmation of the pro-life voting block’s faith and influence in the 2016 Presidential Election. Tonight’s nomination fulfills the hopes and prayers of pro-life voters who saw the long-term consequences of the election, and voted to save the Supreme Court. Ohio Right to Life applauds President Trump for his thorough vetting of multiple pro-life candidates, and for staying true to his promise to nominate pro-life judges. We look forward to pro-life Senator Portman’s review of Judge Gorsuch, and strongly urge him to approve this nominee on his pro-life credentials. We would also caution pro-choice Senator Sherrod Brown to resist knee-jerk reactions and to give Judge Gorsuch a fair hearing.
“Elections have consequences. In the first two weeks of the Trump-Pence Administration, we have already seen the return of the Mexico City Policy, the House approve making the Hyde amendment permanent, and a sitting Vice President address the March for Life for the first time in history. Now, we have a pro-life Supreme Court nominee—a great legal mind who we believe will work to protect human life for his tenure on the Supreme Court.”
