Newly released documents show that US Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers pledged support in 1989 for a constitutional amendment that would ban abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother.
Miers' position on abortion has been the source of intense speculation in Washington and could determine whether she would be confirmed by the Senate -- and, ultimately, whether the US' top court shifts to the right.
She made her views known in a questionnaire completed when she was a candidate for the Dallas city council in Texas. The White House submitted it on Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is expected to hold hearings on her Supreme Court nomination next month. The one-page questionnaire was filled out and unsigned, but the Bush administration affirmed its authenticity.
In the questionnaire, Miers also signaled her support for the overall agenda of the Texans United for Life anti-abortion group, agreeing that she would support legislation to restrict abortions should the Supreme Court rule that states could ban abortions and would participate in "pro-life rallies and events."
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in US society. It hangs over Miers' nomination because she would succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has voted to uphold abortion rights. An anti-abortion justice could tip the court's balance, leading it to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision guaranteeing abortion rights.
In the court's latest case involving abortion, the justices ruled on Monday against an anti-abortion governor and said his state must let a pregnant prison inmate terminate her pregnancy. All nine justices, including US President George W. Bush's first Supreme Court selection, Chief Justice John Roberts, voted to let the woman have an abortion.
Bush's nomination of Miers has been sharply criticized by conservatives, who had wanted a candidate clearly opposed to abortion and aligned with them on other issues. In rare criticism from Bush's political base, some have depicted her as a crony of the president who lacks the credentials to sit on the high court.
It is not clear whether the 1989 questionnaire will ease their misgivings. A major Democrat who supports abortion rights, Senator Dianne Feinstein, said it shows Miers opposes Roe v. Wade.
"This raises very serious concerns about her ability to fairly apply the law without bias in this regard. It will be my intention to question her very carefully about these issues," said Feinstein, who is the only woman on the Judiciary Committee.
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