Thursday, April 12, 2018

At Hearing Judicial Nominee Retreats From Prior Pro-Life Comments

Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Wendy Vitter to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.  NPR reports on the hearing:
Wendy Vitter, nominated by President Trump for a federal judgeship, tried Wednesday to walk back several controversial comments she made about abortion and birth control.
Questioned by skeptical Democrats at her confirmation hearing, she maintained she could "put aside" her long-held "pro-life" advocacy, and as a judge enforce the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights.
In particular, Vitter sought to distance herself from a brochure she had appeared to endorse while leading a panel at a pro-life conference in 2013. The panel was called "Abortion Hurts Women," and the brochure promoted a variety of unsubstantiated claims linking birth control pills to breast cancer, cervical and liver cancers, and "violent death."