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Bush's anti-abortion attack

January 17, 2003 | Page 2

HE'S BACK. Charles Pickering, the Mississippi judge known for his racist views and anti-abortion fanaticism, is once again being put forward by the Bush administration to be a federal appeals court judge.

Pickering's nomination was rejected last year, after his racist record--including his arguments against interracial marriage--came to light. Now that Republicans control both houses of Congress, Bush is repeating the appointment.

This nomination is part of the White House's declaration of war on women's rights--especially the right to choose abortion. Even the mainstream media is getting the idea. "Two years into the Bush presidency, it is apparent that reversing or otherwise eviscerating the Supreme Court's momentous 1973 ruling that recognized a woman's fundamental right to make her own childbearing decisions is indeed Mr. Bush's mission," the New York Times wrote in an editorial.

The administration's most recent attacks on abortion rights include censoring the National Cancer Institute Web site to remove information saying that there is no evidence that links abortion to increased rates of breast cancer and planning to push yet again for a ban on the misnamed abortion procedure "partial-birth" abortion by the anti-choice bigots.

With the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision approaching, some mainstream groups, like local chapters of the National Organization for Women, have announced plans for rallies, forums and other events.

That's a positive step--but it's not enough. We need to be very visible in sending a message to Washington: We won't let the anti-abortion bigots turn back the clock.

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