Attorney General-designate Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) testifies on Capitol Hill on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Sessions pledges to ‘respect’ Roe v. Wade as attorney general despite his pro-life views
January 10, 2017
Attorney General-designate Sen. Jeff Sessions pledged during his confirmation hearing Tuesday to “respect” Roe v. Wade as attorney general, despite the fact that he disagrees with the ruling.
The Alabama Republican tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department was quizzed by several of his Senate colleagues about his position on abortion.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked Sessions about his stance on enforcing Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, even though he is opposed to abortion.
Sessions, who once described Roe as “one of the worst, colossally erroneous Supreme Court decisions of all time,” said the ruling is nonetheless the law of the land and would be enforced.
He added that he believes the decision “violated the Constitution” and “attempted to set policy and not follow law.”
"It is the law of the land, it has been so established and settled for a quite a long time, and it deserves respect and I would respect it and follow it,” he said.
Sen. Jeff Sessions on Roe v. Wade: "I believe it violated the Constitution… It is the law of the land…and I would respect it and follow it." pic.twitter.com/ObnLpFcG7J
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 10, 2017
Prior to the hearing, Sessions, who has a 0 percent rating from several pro-abortion groups, was praised by the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List. In a statement, SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser urged the Senate to confirm Sessions:
Senator Jeff Sessions is a principled pro-life advocate who will bring a lifetime of experience to the role of Attorney General. He will enforce the law and defend the Constitution and fight for the constitutional right to life of every American, including the unborn, and for the civil rights and human dignity of every person.
Planned Parenthood tweeted that, although Sessions pledged to “respect” Roe, his record “shows otherwise.”
Want to leave a tip?
We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
more stories
Sign up for the Blaze newsletter
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Get the stories that matter most delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.