Feminist groups characterized Judge O'Connor as a supporter of the amendment, however. Reagan himself had once supported the proposal before changing his position. Position on Rights ProposalĪs for the proposed equal rights amendment, a senior White House official maintained that Judge O'Connor's onetime support had lessened and that she now had ''more problems'' with the proposal. O'Connor had sponsored a 1973 bill, which passed, giving hospitals, physicians and other medical personnel the right not to participate in abortion procedures. In response, the White House said that there was no record of the 1970 vote and that, contrary to what the anti-abortion groups say, the 1973 bill was not pro-abortion and made no mention of abortion. She is also on record as opposing a measure that would have outlawed abortions in some state facilities. While a member of the Arizona Senate, Judge O'Connor at first advocated passage of the equal rights proposal, and then, for reasons that are unclear, supported a different version that was regarded by some as less sweeping. It seemed likely, however, that Judge O'Connor's past positions on issues linked to feminists would serve as a focus for any confirmation battle. Reagan placed a high priority on finding a woman with conservative views for the Court.
Reagan Administration officials had said earlier that Mr. Reagan urged the Senate's ''swift bipartisan confirmation so that, as soon as possible, she may take her seat on the Court and her place in history.'' In a brief statement before television cameras at the White House, Mr. Associate Justice Stewart announced his retirement last month after 23 years on the Court. Reagan fulfilled a campaign promise last year to pick a woman for the Court at one of his earliest opportunities. Before becoming a judge, she served in the Arizona State Senate for six years.
Bruce Babbitt, a Democrat, after five years as an elected Superior Court judge in Maricopa County, Ariz. Judge O'Connor was appointed to Arizona's second-highest court in 1979 by Gov.
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