We need a Supreme Court justice who will honor established precedent

Statement of Melissa Fowler, Senior Director, Communications & Membership at the National Abortion Federation (NAF) on President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for SCOTUS:

President Trump promised to put forth a nominee who would oppose Roe v. Wade, and Judge Brett Kavanaugh has passed this litmus test. Kavanaugh has been approved by ultraconservative and anti-abortion groups, and his views are out of step with the majority of Americans who overwhelmingly support keeping abortion safe and legal. According to a recent poll, 63% of Americans agree with the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade.

And there’s more at risk than just Roe. The Supreme Court is the final defense against dangerous and unconstitutional attacks on basic rights and freedoms that affect the most important parts of our lives. Kavanaugh is an extreme judge who has the highest number of dissents per year of any judge on the D.C. Circuit. One of those dissents was in the highly-publicized “Jane Doe” case last year where Kavanaugh tried to block an undocumented minor in government custody from exercising her constitutionally protected right to an abortion.

We need a Supreme Court justice who will honor established precedent, including the constitutional right to privacy and Roe v. Wade, and that is not Judge Brett Kavanaugh. We urge Senators to carefully scrutinize Kavanaugh’s record, and vote against this nominee, as he would jeopardize the lives and health of women and families in America.

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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers. Our members include individuals, private and non-profit clinics, Planned Parenthood affiliates, women’s health centers, physicians’ offices, and hospitals who together care for approximately half the women who choose abortion in the U.S. and Canada each year. Our members also include public hospitals and both public and private clinics in Mexico City and private clinics in Colombia. Our mission is to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care, which promotes health and justice for women.