Now Extreme Rights Are Worried That a Little Alito on the Supremes Won't be Enough

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Some anti-abortion groups are starting to wonder whether Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito is as strong an ally of their cause as opponents have depicted him.

Although most major conservative groups have embraced him, those whose sole mission is to restrict and prohibit abortion have reservations about Alito as they learn more about his record on that issue.

"I don't know what his personal views are, but I know that he has ruled on pro-life cases four times and he has ruled against pro-life positions three times. And the fourth was a split decision," said Richard Collier, president of the Legal Center for the Defense of Life based in Morristown, N.J. "If you look at the paper trail, it is all negative."

Also concerned is another group from New Jersey, Alito's home state and the jurisdiction where many of his rulings as a federal appeals-court judge have had a direct effect.

"There's a big question mark about what he would do" on the Supreme Court, said Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life. "We certainly hope that Judge Alito is all the things that our opponents claim he is, but we don't know that yet."

The country's biggest anti-abortion group, the National Right to Life Committee, has not taken a formal position on Alito's nomination, but its Web site suggests his record on abortion is mixed at best.