Washington – While Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.’s views on abortion triggered speculation Wednesday on Capitol Hill, there was no mistaking where his wife stands: Jane Sullivan Roberts, a lawyer, is ardently against abortion.
A Catholic like her husband, Jane Roberts has been deeply involved in the anti-abortion movement. She lends her name, money and professional advice to a small Washington-based organization – Feminists for Life of America Inc. – that offers counseling and educational programs. The group has filed legal briefs before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of abortion.
A spouse’s views normally are not considered relevant in weighing someone’s job suitability. But abortion is likely to figure prominently in the Senate debate over Roberts’ nomination.
And with his position on the divisive issue unclear, abortion-rights supporters expressed concern Wednesday that his wife’s views might suggest he also embraces efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
“It’s unclear how all this will affect her husband,” said Jennifer Palmieri, a spokeswoman with the Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy group. “It’s possible that he would have a different view than her. It’s just that in the absence of information about this guy, people are looking at her and trying to read the tea leaves.”
Asked to discuss her role with Feminists for Life, Jane Roberts said in an e-mail to the Los Angeles Times: “Thanks for your inquiry. At this time, however, I would like to decline your invitation to talk.”
Advocacy groups on both sides of the issue were reacting strongly Wednesday to President Bush’s first Supreme Court nomination.
The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue said: “We pray that Judge Roberts will be swiftly confirmed.”
Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, said that of the Supreme Court candidates considered by Bush, Roberts was one of the “most extreme” when it comes to the question of overturning Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion.
