WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Americans United for Life (AUL) President & CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest released a memo to Senate Judiciary Committee members, urging them to ask Judge Sotomayor the "Top Ten" most important questions pertaining to abortion, its regulations and the role of the Court as the Senators prepare for her confirmation hearings to begin July 13.

AUL President & CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said, "It's important for the American people to understand that the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court will dramatically shift the dynamics of the Court. Her record of activism in support of a radical pro-abortion agenda is clear and documented. This is a judge with a record significantly worse than Judge Souter's. We are asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to seriously consider the consequences of confirming a Supreme Court justice whose radical record shows she would rule against all common-sense legal protections for the unborn, including parental notification, informed consent and bans on partial-birth abortion. The American people will not tolerate a nominee who is outside the mainstream of American public opinion."

The "Top Ten Questions for Judge Sotomayor" are also available on AUL's new Web site, AskSotomayor.com. The site was launched today to educate not only legislators, but also pro-lifers around the country what their elected representatives should be asking Judge Sotomayor as serious concerns mount that her previous statements, associations with organizations such as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF), opinions, and rulings indicate she will radically legislate from the bench. AUL will poll the Web site's visitors to find out which question they believe is the most important to ask during the hearings.

Questions aim to clarify Judge Sotomayor's beliefs about:

• The role of the Courts - making policy vs. interpreting the Constitution
• The precedent of Roe v. Wade
• Abortion as a "fundamental right" similar to the right to free speech and religion as protected in the Constitution
• Common-sense abortion regulations including parental and informed consent
• Taxpayer-funded abortion
• When human life begins - whether it is a scientific or religious question
• Fetal rights - whether she stands by her previous statement that she never thought about the rights of the unborn

About Americans United for Life

Americans United for Life (AUL) is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization whose vision is a nation in which everyone is welcomed in life and protected in law. The first national pro-life organization in America, AUL has been committed to defending human life through vigorous judicial, legislative, and educational efforts at both the federal and state levels since 1971. The Wall Street Journal has profiled AUL, and PBS' Frontline program chronicled AUL's successful efforts in Mississippi.

SOURCE Americans United for Life