ABORTION

In the washington post, there was an article about Samuel Alito's senate hearings. The main questions which were asked dealt with his views on abortion 20 years ago. In 1985, Alito made a statement saying that the constitution does not protect a right to an abortion. Now, he says that he agrees the constitution prtects the privacy of the person. Also, since abortion was legalized as a result of the Roe vs. Wade trial, he believes it should remain legalized. This is called stare decisis, which means standing by something that is already decided. Pro- abortionists, are opposed to Alito becoming supreme court justice because they feel he could be the swing vote that outlaws abortion.

The most famous and controversial abortion cases to reach the supreme court was the Roe vs. Wade trial. The final decision from this trial was that most laws against abortion violate the constitutional right to privacy. Therrefore, states could not make their own laws that say abortion is illegal. This decision divided the counrty in pro-choice and pro-life. The case was reoppened in 1992 as Planned Parenthood vs. Casey. The outcome of this trial was the same as before. A woman's decision to have an abortion is protected by the constitution.