O’Connor Nominee personally opposes abortion

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sandra D. O’Connor today expressed again her personal opposition to abortion, but made it clear that as a Supreme Court justice she would not be bound by personal biases, s•aid Sen. Gordon J. Humphrey. Humphrey, an abortion foe, met with the 51-year-old Arizona appeals court judge this morning on her fourth day of courting senators who will vote on her nomination to serve on the nation’s highest court. “She said the press reports were true. Her views are essentially the same as the president’s,” said the New Hampshire Republican, explaining that the reference was to “personal opposition” to abortion. Humphrey said Mrs. O’Connor followed up by saying, in effect, that Supreme Court justices “should divorce their decisions from personal biases.” Mrs. O’Connor told several senators Tuesday that she opposes abortion, but has since made it clear that she believes justices should follow legal precedents. Humphrey said he would ask constitutional scholars for help in drafting a set of questions on the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. Humphrey said he hoped to deliver the written questions to Mrs. O’Connor before the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up her nomination. He added that Mrs. O’Connor did not comment on the 1973 decision during their meeting today. “I’m st ill neutral,” Humphrey said when asked whether he would vote for her . Sen. Jesse Helms, saying his single meeting with Mrs. O’Connor wasn’t