NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA AND NARAL PRO-CHOICE ARIZONA RESPOND TO SENATOR MCCAIN’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE’LL OPPOSE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION”
NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA AND NARAL PRO-CHOICE ARIZONA RESPOND TO SENATOR MCCAIN’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE’LL OPPOSE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION” FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 11,2005 NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA AND NARAL PRO-CHOICE ARIZONA RESPOND TO SENATOR MCCAIN’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE’LL OPPOSE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION” Pro-choice activists respond to "nuclear option" threat with over 500 petition signatures, calls to Senate offices Phoenix, AZ – NARAL Pro-Choice America and NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona issued a joint statement in response to Senator John McCain’s announcement that he will oppose the “nuclear option” for eliminating Senate debate around judicial nominations. NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona State Coordinator Heather Terrell said: “In citing the need to protect the rights of the minority party, Senator John McCain has taken an important step to protecting the rights of Arizonans on both sides of the aisle, and we applaud this move. The ‘nuclear option’ has implications far beyond any one judicial nomination. It’s an unprecedented power grab by the far right that would clear the path for any number of ultra-conservative judicial nominees.” NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan said, I want to applaud the grassroots activists in Arizona who contacted Senator McCain’s office. Senators know that their constituents oppose the abuse of power that Senate Majority Leader Frist has proposed. Although Senator McCain is not pro-choice himself, he wisely recognizes that the ‘nuclear option’ is not good for the U.S. Senate, and it’s not good for this country. Such a move would allow President Bush to push through extremist nominees who get narrow party-line support instead of bipartisan consensus. It is both smart policy and common sense that any nominee to the highest court in this nation should receive the support of Senators from both parties. As part of its “Choose Justice” campaign, NARAL Pro-Choice America organizers have worked to educate voters and rally opposition to the “nuclear option” in cities across Arizona. Nearly a thousand pro-choice activists in Arizona have spoken out, on petitions and through NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Rapid Responder program, urging the Senate to preserve its honored tradition of debate and deliberation. # # # Contacts: Heather Terrell, NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona Field Organizer, 480.834.3274 Ted Miller, NARAL Pro-Choice America Communications Deputy Director 202.973.3034
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