Our last post was on media complicity in fueling the abortion wars.
Today, in a prequel to SotoMaybe’s upcoming confirmation hearings, FemiSex brings you a message from Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

It deals with the fact that we have NO good information on Sonya Sotomayor’s stand on abortion. Zip! We have no idea if she thinks Gonzales v. Carhart was wrongly decided. We have no idea is she is for or against parental consent laws. We have NO idea whatsoever on her position on abortions rights, other than, her rulings AGAINST abortions rights. (See our prior posts on SotoMayor for more on her prior rulings.)

And as Ms. Northup points out, the Senate is complicit in this act of unknowing when it comes to Supreme Court nominees and their stand on abortion rights. Time to end the Silence, says Northup. Have a listen:

"Write your Senators TODAY and let them know you care about
Roe v. Wade and object to silence around
this issue.

In just a few days, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Supreme Court Justice.
Unfortunately, we already know what the hearing may look like -- at least when it comes to constitutional protections for abortion rights.
For more than a generation, the Senate has been part of a conspiracy of silence on abortion rights. Senators have either avoided the topic, or refused to press hard for honest answers on where judicial nominees stand. Nominees of both parties have been part of the game, too. Chief Justice John Roberts flatly refused to answer any questions about Roe v. Wade. Justice Clarence Thomas claimed never to have seriously thought about the case. (We all know how that ended up.)
You can help end this conspiracy of silence on abortion rights. Write your Senators TODAY and let them know you care about Roe v. Wade and won't tolerate silence on this issue.
Knowing a nominee's view on Roe is an essential part of understanding a nominee's judicial philosophy. And the Senate's failure to pursue questions about abortion rights has created dangerous uncertainty about a constitutional right that has already been badly weakened.
Even well-qualified, thoughtful nominees like Judge Sotomayor may feel obliged to play the game to avoid stirring up the anti-choice extremists who oppose abortion rights.
Enough is enough. The American people deserve a full and frank discussion about judicial nominees' views on privacy and abortion rights. We can handle it. And we deserve it.
Make your voice heard on this important issue and write your Senators TODAY! Let them know you care about Roe and won't tolerate silence on this issue.
It's the Senate Judiciary Committee's right and responsibility -- to ask those questions. And it's a judicial nominee's right -- and responsibility -- to tell the Senate and the public where they stand on this critical issue.
Please join me in urging the Senate to bring this critical issue into the open, where it belongs, alongside our other constitutional rights.
Thanks for everything you do!"
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Update:
Readers have emailed us that the New York Times selected seven people to ask “Questions for Judge Sotomayor.”

The common complaint is that not a one of these questions directly asks Sotomayor about her specific views on abortion or the correctness of Roe. v. Wade limiting decisions of the past. (E.g., Gonzales v. Carhart, 2007).

This is indeed a disaster! Choice only counts when it is being used to KEEP women tethered to the Blue SEAT!

We also want to point out—as we have too too too many times in the past—that when this format of NYTimes op/ed polling is done, the result is always in the range of 80 to 90% male dominance in terms of male voice. In fact, many times, THE Times, allowed only male voice to come through. Today we have 5 men, who ask 14 questions and 2 women who ask 4 questions. That means 77% of the “Questions for Sotomayor” came from males. YAK!

Way to go Times! Keep them womins in {there} kitcheeens place! NO WAY NO HOW to a 50% representation of female voice at the Times.
Who is getting sick of women being Shunted and Punted to the BACK OF THE BUS?