"You're wrong Sotomayor. You're wrong."
These words when shouted in the middle of a Senate confirmation hearing will get you removed from the proceedings, so found out Norma McCorvey, better known as Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade.
McCorvey was among a small group of anti-abortion activist that protested before and during the confirmation hearing on the nomination of Judge Sonya Sotomayor, President Obama’s pick to fill the vacated Supreme Court seat. The hearing was interrupted no less than three times by anti-abortion activists who were duly escorted out of the session for their outbursts.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this most recent wave of protests is that it is actually forcing an issue that, to this point, hasn’t really been on the table. The senators on the panel did not question Judge Sotomayor about abortion yesterday, nor are they expected to. On Monday they focused more on what some perceive to be racists remarks about the judge’s ability to make better decisions in some cases because of her experience as a Latina woman.
On the issue of abortion, actually, very little is known about Judge Sotomayor’s stance. If anything, there are at least two precedents where Sotomayor ruled in favor of anti-abortion protesters and against the use of federal funds for abortion providers overseas.
Still, McCorvey represents a swath of the population that distrusts the President’s pick and intends to do everything in their power to block her nomination. Before the hearings began, McCorvey went on record saying, "I'm here to overturn Roe and defeat Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court. She's unworthy of the position. She’s Catholic. She’s even unworthy of taking communion because of her pro-abortion stance."
Despite all of this during the hearing Republican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, made it clear that Judge Sonya Sotomayor would receive their confirmation, “Unless you have a complete meltdown, you’re going to get confirmed.”
