Harriet Miers' Speech Referencing Abortion
Harriet Miers
In 1993, Harriet Miers gave a speech to the Executive Women of Dallas. The Washington Post reported this morning that she referenced abortion.
Here’s the relevant passage:
The ongoing debate continues surrounding the attempt to once again criminalize abortions or to once and for all guarantee the freedom of the individual women’s right to decide for herself whether she will have an abortion.
Read for yourself the whole speech.
More later.
* * *
Meanwhile, take a second to VOTE in the Reasoned Audacity Miers poll on the left sidebar. . .
And here’s the longer question I’m interested in. Drop me a note in the comments: does this speech Miers gave influence your opinion?
* * *
UPDATE: How explosive was this speech? The big news of the day was the Ed Whelan piece on NRO in which he called for Miers’ withdrawal after holding a neutral stance. This was followed late in the day by a press release from Concerned Women for America, joining the Withdraw Miers coalition.
And now, an interesting development at Powerline. Earlier today, Paul Mirengoff responded to Ed by saying (loosely quoting here), “Hey, the speech is 12 years old, give the lady a break.” He has now updated that post, after reading the speech carefully, and he, too, is calling for Miers to withdraw.
I’ve also been curious to see how Hugh Hewitt would respond. The speech is “a mess” he concedes, while still maintaining that “under no circumstances” should Miers resign.
Read the speech.
Harriet Miers on Abortion – Part II
In general, I?ve found the information and editorial commentary regarding Harriet Miers contradictory and difficult to interpret. While Miers clearly represented herself as a pro-life candidate during a 1989 campaign that let to her election to the Dal…
Harriet Miers on Abortion – Part II
In general, I?ve found the information and editorial commentary regarding Harriet Miers contradictory and difficult to interpret. While Miers clearly represented herself as a pro-life candidate during a 1989 campaign that let to her election to the Dal…
Harriet Miers on Abortion – Part II
In general, I?ve found the information and editorial commentary regarding Harriet Miers contradictory and difficult to interpret. While Miers clearly represented herself as a pro-life candidate during a 1989 campaign that let to her election to the Dal…
Harriet Miers’ Controversial Speech
As reported earlier, the Washington Post published an article that presents Harriet Miers an abortion proponent (or at least the right of women to “choose” abortion) based upon a 1993 speech to the Executive Women of Dallas. Without comment, here…
If I had to go by that quote alone then trying to discern Ms. Miers position would be impossible. But there are several interesting points she makes that encourage me to continue to support her. The one being in that too often the legislative branches, local and national, are often willing to have the courts make decisions about contentious issues. Thus reserving for themselves, the politicians, the right to second guess. From this I would assume that Ms. Miers might vote to send many of these issues back to the legislatures and not make any decision. The other point would reside in an expansive view of the states power to supercede local authorities, ie. making funding for local school a state mandate. Which to my mind has indeed equalized funding but has really had no discernible impact on the education of children in porer areas. On the whole it would be hard on the basis of this speech to see some kind of stealth liberal or a hard-working incompetent.
Meant to write “..trying to discern Ms. Miers position on abortion would be impossible.”
To me it reads like a John Edwards stump speech (e.g. Two Americas)
I have three concerns with her that result in my not being able to actively support her.
1. I don’t like the positions we see on Set asides, abortion, etc. I happen to be moderately pro-choice, but I don’t like her flip flopping on that or any issue
2. I don’t think she has a clear judicial approach. This to me is the most important issue. I’m looking for a Judge who is “Process” not “Results” oriented. I read her stuff as determine the outcome you want and craft a decision that gets there. The anti-Scalia.
3. What I read is that she is different things to different people. She tries to Please Power. We need a Judge who is a solid judicial mind.
Think she will be a Souter in skirts.
Hi Charmaine! I have been very concerned about this nomination. I’ve been one who has tried to hang on ’til the hearings. However, everything we’re finding out leading up to the hearings is NOT GOOD.
This is frustrating as one–like many others–who went to the polls and worked on the GOTV campaign in order to ensure an originalist justice for the Supreme Court. This is the moment for which we went to the polls. And, it is looking dimmer by the day.
At the end of the day, the hearings will show us whether Harriet can deliver.
You make the call
Our good friend Charmaine over at Reasoned Audacity has a poll you can take part in, “What should happen with the Miers nomination?” In politics anything can happen, but in this case I’m hearing an umpire’s voice in my head, saying “You’re OUT!!”
Co…
Harriet Miers Withdraws
Charmaine Yoest asked me yesterday via email what I thought about the speeches, and said she was ready to break her resistance to taking a stand for or against the nomination. After I read through it, my opinion was changed somewhat as well, but I kind…
Lessons Learned From The Miers Debacle!
Lessons Learned From The Miers Debacle!
What happens now that Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination to the Supreme Court? Miers will stay as Whitehouse council, and President Bush has another choice to make. What has President Bush learned fro…
What is even more interesting is reading the non abortion-related parts. She seems to support imposing a new income tax for education, building low income housing in wealthy communities to encourage racial integration, and the separation of religion or other traditions from the public sphere and the law. This speech represents policy positions typical of a liberal. Pro-life does not a conservative make.