Now that the relief effort for Hurricane Katrina is in full swing, the country can start getting back to other pressing matters. I would say the first and foremost of those matters are the two vacancies in the Supreme Court.

The confirmation hearing of John G. Roberts Jr. began Monday. Former Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's death made Roberts' confirmation almost guaranteed. Especially with Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) chairing the confirmation proceedings.

But there is a troubling problem facing these proceedings. It seems that all people want from Roberts is a fiery opinion about the legality of abortion. Nearly 6 out of 10 Americans plan to watch the confirmation proceedings and a majority of that portion want Roberts to make his stance on abortion clear, according to a Gallup poll conducted on Sept. 6. Specter said he won't question Roberts on Roe v. Wade but will "ask about his opinion on following precedents" with regards to abortion.

I want to make a disclaimer right now. I am not saying abortion is inconsequential. Far from it. I think abortion is a debate that needs to be at the front of every person's political and moral agenda. But there are other pressing issues in this country as well.

One that is sure to be a hot bed of controversy is affirmative action. The Associated Press reported Monday that black attendance at public universities in Florida has dropped to its lowest point in five years. The state does not allow for racial consideration when applying to schools. However, Rehnquist affirmed a right to moderate affirmative action in Gratz v. Bollinger. Isn't Roberts' opinion on that issue just as important as his opinion on abortion?

There is also the issue of sexual discrimination to consider. In 2004, women made roughly 74 cents to every dollar men made, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. That makes his opinion on sexual discrimination in the work place a valid thing to question.

Let's not forget gay marriage either. Within the next thirty years — and Roberts will serve at least that long barring a tragic accident — this country will have a high-octane legal debate over gay marriage. Some other major issues that Roberts could be very influential on are civil rights, the breadth of the commerce clause, copyright laws on the Internet and presidential power.

But all we want to talk about is abortion, abortion, abortion. Imagine if we characterized everybody by their stance on just abortion:

Confirmation Committee Member: Mother Theresa, stop evading the question. What do you think of abortion?

Mother Theresa: I am against it.

CCM: Radical! Radical! We cannot allow such a conservative person on the Court today!

We need to stop putting abortion on a higher pedestal than other issues. It is a serious debate, but it won't be the only one Roberts entertains. He'll review a slue of legal discussions. And it's about time the public realizes that.

This viewpoint was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 13, 2005.