Supreme Court Justice Scalia Says Catholic Faith Has 'Little Effect' On His Work, Including Abortion-Related Rulings

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 19 Oct 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Tuesday during a speech at Villanova University's School of Law said that his Catholic faith has "little effect" on his "work as a judge," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Scalia was invited to speak about the "role of Catholic faith in the work of a judge" at the law school's one-day symposium, "Avoiding Dogmatism on a Disputed Question." During his speech, Scalia said, "I am hard-pressed to tell you of a single opinion of mine that would have come out differently if I were not Catholic" (O'Reilly, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/17).

Scalia added that he is opposed to Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 Supreme Court case that effectively barred state abortion bans -- because there is no reference to abortion in the Constitution, not because of his faith. "The reality is that the Constitution says nothing about abortion either way, and the states are therefore allowed to permit it or to prohibit it," he said (Dale, AP/Pocono Record, 10/17). Scalia added, "I see no constitutional right to an abortion, just as I see nothing in [the Constitution] criminalizing or prohibiting abortion" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/17).

Scalia told members of the audience -- who were primarily Catholics -- that they should not call for the appointment of judges who combine religious beliefs with their judicial work (AP/Pocono Record, 10/17).

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