Urge Alito Filibuster to Mark 33rd Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

(Click image for more info on Blog for Choice)

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which ruled that the relationship between a woman and her doctor was a private affair, not subject to governmental interference. We all know how at risk privacy freedoms are as the right wing continues its assault on reproductive freedom and Senate Democrats consider the merits of a filibuster of Samuel Alito's appointment to the Supreme Court.

As part of the National Organization for Women's observance of the Roe v. Wade anniversary, supporters are being asked to call their Senators to urge a no vote against Alito and a filibuster to stop his appointment. Plan to make your calls on Monday, during regular office hours, to either the local or Washington offices of your Senators.

Click for phone numbers for Senator Jeff Bingaman.

Click for phone numbers for Senator Pete Domenici.

According to NOW, here's the problem if Senators offer a no vote without a filibuster:

In constituent visits, and to the national press, Senators are starting to say that they will vote NO on his confirmation, but some are not yet agreeing to filibuster the nomination.

Here's the problem: Due to the current balance of power in the Senate (55 Republicans, 44 Democrats), we do not have the necessary 51 "no" votes to defeat Alito outright. So the only way for senators to block confirmation is for them to launch a filibuster - which can only be ended if 60 of the 100 senators vote to stop the filibuster and proceed to a vote on the nomination. In other words, IF there is a filibuster, 41 senators can block the nomination. But without a filibuster, those same 41 votes would not be sufficient to stop Alito.So "no" votes are meaningless in terms of the final outcome, unless there is a filibuster.

Go ahead, make those calls. And then donate a few bucks to an organization like NARAL or Planned Parenthood to support the important work of perserving our reproductive freedoms.

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