Two years before the "Roe v. Wade" decision by the Supreme Court, he introduced the Senate's first abortion legalization bill, but he was unable to attract a cosponsor for it. His pro-choice stance earned him the loyalty of many feminist groups and numerous awards including those from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (January 10, 1983) and the National Women's Political Caucus (October 23, 1985). In 1987, Packwood crossed party lines to vote against the nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court, and he was one of only two Republicans to vote against the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the court in 1991. Both votes were based on the nominee's opposition to abortion rights.