Justice Stevens, Congressman Stupak to Retire

Justice Stevens, Congressman Stupak to Retire One retirement notice Friday was almost universally expected--pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens made it official that he was stepping down after the current term ends in June. The other--the announcement by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) that he would not seek re-election this fall--was more of a surprise. But there are some interesting similarities and contrasts. When he was chosen by President Gerald Ford (Ford's only Supreme Court nominee), Stevens, now almost 90, was seen as a middle of the roader. Over the years he "became leader of the liberals on the Court," according to CNN's Jeffrey Toobin, a "staunch defender of abortion rights." (Toobin argues that Stevens became "an unexpected liberal -- someone who moved to the left as the court moved to the right." In fact, Stevens lurched left long before some additional "conservative" justices took their seats on the bench.) If conservatives became gradually (and then totally) disillusioned with Stevens, pro-lifers believed unswervingly in Rep. Stupak until late in the afternoon of March 21. That was the fateful moment when Stupak announced that all the pro-life concerns he had about the Senate bill the House was about to vote on had suddenly been allayed. How had that happened? Because pro-abortion from head to toe President Barack Obama had issued an executive order. "I'm pleased to announce that we have an agreement, and it's with the help of the president and the speaker we were able to come to an agreement to protect the sanctity of life in the health care reform," Stupak said. "There will be no public funding for abortion in this legislation." Collectively, our heads snapped back in disbelief and sadness. Pro-lifers were supposed to accept (a) that an essentially meaningless executive order could trump a law; (b) that Obama would monitor the way the law played out to ensure that abortions would not be funded; and (c) that even if the executive order meant something and could be enforced Obama wouldn't simply deep-six the executive order the instant it suited his purposes. Pro-life Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) put it well: "This puts the fate of the unborn in the hands of the most pro-abortion president in history." Who knows how the election would have played out had Stupak run again--whether he would have defeated a staunch pro-abortionist in the Democratic primary and, if so, gone on to defeat pro-life Republican Dr. Dan Benishek in the general. He had lost the endorsement of Right to Life of Michigan PAC. What we do know is that the man who has co-piloted the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus with Republican Chris Smith parachuted out before he had a chance to crash electorally. Now in the wake of his deeply regrettable actions--and that of a number of other erstwhile pro-life Democrats who also flip-flopped-- it's up to everyone who is appalled by the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade to challenge ObamaCare in Congress, in the Courts, in the state legislatures, and at the ballot box. Contact: Dave Andrusko Source: NRLC Publish Date: April 9, 2010 Link to this article. Send this article to a friend.