| For Immediate Release: August 10, 2018 Contact: [email protected] |
After Sen. Chuck Grassley announced Friday that he intends for the Senate to hold hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court beginning on September 4th, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue issued the following statement:
“The GOP setting hearings about Brett Kavanaugh’s lifetime nomination to the Supreme Court without a full and thorough vet is an affront to democracy and to women everywhere, whose lives and futures are on the line. We are clear that this nomination is a dire and immediate threat to our most cherished rights— rights supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. Donald Trump promised, over and over, to exclusively nominate people to the Supreme Court who would gut Roe v Wade, criminalize abortion, and punish women, and it’s abundantly clear that Brett Kavanaugh is his man to do it.
“Now, the balance of the Supreme Court—and the rights and freedoms of women—rests on the shoulders of each senator. It would be a ruthless betrayal of women across the country for senators to confirm the next Supreme Court justice for a lifetime appointment without affirmative proof that that justice respects the constitutional rights of all people. Brett Kavanaugh does not fit that bill and therefore senators must vote ‘no.’
“Majority Leader McConnell knows full well that this nominee would never pass public scrutiny. That’s precisely why he set the hearings more than a month before documents regarding Kavanaugh’s positions can be handed over. These Republican groups and senators are desperately trying to cover-up Kavanaugh’s record, and back pedal from their long stated desire to end Roe and criminalize abortion. The reason is simple: even a majority of their own party supports legal abortion. The American people want Kavanaugh to answer clearly and truthfully where he stands on these issues and we won’t be satisfied by non-answers, evasions, and vaguely worded statements about precedent. Too much is a stake. Many senators will be asking for our vote come November, and now is the time to prove they stand with us. We’ll be watching.”
A recent poll found that 61% of voters believe Kavanaugh should be required to answer questions about abortion if asked at this hearing.
A poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal shows that support for Roe v. Wade has hit an all-time high, including that 71 percent of American voters believe that the landmark Supreme Court decision should not be overturned. The poll also found that the majority of Republicans oppose Roe being overturn.
Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to live up to his promise to only nominate Supreme Court justices who will end Roe v. Wade, criminalize abortion, and punish women. This position is deeply unpopular, even with Republicans. This poll should be a warning to all Senators thinking of supporting Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Highlights from NBC/WSJ poll:
- 71 percent of American voters believe that Roe v. Wadeshould not be overturned. Just 23 percent say the ruling should be reversed.
- Those preferring candidates who advocate for abortion rights include 68 percent of Democrats and 49 percent of independents. That’s compared with nine percent of Democrats, 24 percent of independents and 46 percent of Republicans who said they would be more likely to support a “right to life” candidate.
- Those supporting [Roe] include 88 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of independents and a majority—52 percent—of Republicans. Only four-in-ten Republicans—39 percent—say that Roe v. Wadeshould be overturned.
- Voters also say that they are more likely to vote for a political candidate who supports abortion rights rather than for one who opposes them.
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”