Statement from Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority
Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination is a blatant attempt to roll back some 60 years of women’s rights and civil rights. If confirmed to the Supreme Court, he could very well cement that disgraceful legacy.
Donald Trump has never understood or respected the role of the judiciary in our democracy–he only wants a Court that will work for him and grant him excessive executive powers. We will work every day to make sure that doesn’t happen and to center the voices of feminists who demand a Court that stands for justice, not one that protects special interests.
Kavanaugh was handpicked by the right-wing, anti-reproductive rights Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation, and then passed President Trump’s litmus test, which means he could very well be the deciding Justice that overturns Roe v. Wade. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, we could be just a short time away from abortion being outlawed and criminalized in over half the country. That means states could prosecute and imprison doctors and nurses who perform abortions, as well as women who have them.
Abortion rights are just the beginning. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, the Trump Court will further threaten the Affordable Care Act, LGBTQ rights, affirmative action, protections for workers, access to birth control, immigrant rights, and voting rights, among other hard won gains. We are standing at the precipice of a turning point for human rights in America.
This is the fight of our lives. We have every right to demand that the Senate wait to vote on this nomination until after the new Congress is sworn in . With so much on the line, it is critical that voters have the final say on a Justice who could rob generations of Americans of a strong democracy and our human rights.
These are not ordinary times. Senators who believe in human rights must stand strong and prevent a president who is a subject of an unprecedented investigation from stacking the Court.
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