Don't Let Glenn Beck Dominate Supreme Court Debate

As I mentioned on Friday, it was only hours after we said good riddance to anti-choice Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that we learned that Justice John Paul Stevens was set to announce his decision to retire from the Supreme Court. CNN.com reported on our statement, saying:

NARAL Pro-Choice America, the national abortion rights group, praised Justice John Paul Stevens' record Friday and implored President Obama to nominate a replacement who will also uphold abortion rights.

"Given the current composition of the court, we will assess the eventual nominee's complete record on privacy and other relevant issues in the same way we did during Justice Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation process," NARAL President Nancy Keenan said in a statement.

"One thing is certain: opponents of women's freedom and privacy will use this vacancy on the court as an opportunity to further their attacks on nominees who have taken pro-choice positions," Keenan added. "America's pro-choice majority will fight back."

We can't thank Justice Stevens enough for his years of public service and respect for individual freedom. Without Supreme Court justices like Stevens who support the constitutional right to privacy, abortion would not be legal today.

Our anti-choice opponents are already using this vacancy to rally their base. Fox News hate-mongerer Glenn Beck sank to new lows when he told his listeners to expect President Obama to pick a "gay, handicapped, black woman, who's an immigrant." We know from past experience that the unfounded insults and personal attacks are only going to get worse.

We need to fight back against the anti-choice rallying cry, and that begins with President Obama. Join me in calling on President Obama to say no to the right wing. Let's send the president a strong message in support of a pro-choice nominee. Take action now.