In new video, “This is Not a Drill,” Handler details how Kavanaugh would be a sure fire vote to gut Roe, criminalize abortion, and punish women
| For Immediate Release: August 20, 2018 Contact: [email protected] |
Today NARAL announced a partnership with comedian-activist Chelsea Handler as part of the organization’s work to stop Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, and highlight the critical role NARAL members and voters across the country play in fighting back. NARAL and Handler released a new video in which Handler details how Kavanaugh’s confirmation for a lifetime appointment would pave the way for the Supreme Court to gut Roe v. Wade, criminalize abortion, and punish women. That video can be found here.
“Chelsea is giving voice to the millions of Americans who believe strongly that Roe is in the crosshairs and if it falls, we will not only criminalize women who need an abortion but we will halt generations of progress for women’s equality and freedom under the law. This is literally the moment in our country that the Founders believed the Supreme Court would save us from when they designed it. The clear and present threat to democracy is here, and for senators to put partisan politics over their constituents’ fundamental rights as Americans is unconscionable,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “We are seeing unprecedented energy for this fight—NARAL members across the country have sprung into action, calling their senators, organizing their friends and neighbors, and planning for the largest progressive Supreme Court mobilization in recent history. We are organized, we are engaged, and we intend to fight this like our lives and the lives of our children depend on it, because they do.”
“Donald Trump repeatedly promised to only appoint Supreme Court Justices that will overturn Roe v. Wade, criminalize abortion, and punish women. He has found his man in Brett Kavanaugh,” said Chelsea Handler. “Let’s be crystal clear: abortion rights, and by proxy, women’s ability to be equal partners in society, is on the line in this fight. Brett Kavanaugh will turn back the clock on decades worth of progress for women. What could be more important than fighting for the rights of our daughters, mothers, and sisters not to be thrown in jail for making decisions about their own bodies and futures? We need to do everything possible to defeat this nomination. We need to speak out. We need to call our senators. We need to take to the streets. Every single voice matters, and it’s a fight I know we can win. I am proud to join with NARAL in this fight.”
On August 26, people across the country will participate in the “Unite for Justice” national day of action to demand that their senators oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. NARAL and partners are organizing in states nationwide to tell elected officials that we are the majority, that they must listen to their constituents, and uphold the will of the people. To learn about how to find an event near you or participate, visit here.
Senators now hold the keys to women’s fundamental freedoms in their hands. 13 states have laws that would criminalize abortion if Roe were ended, and 26 states have anti-choice legislatures and governors that could fast track anti-choice legislation. What that means for every senator is very simple: a vote for Kavanaugh is a vote to gut Roe, criminalize abortion and punish women.
In a recent NBC/WSJ poll, support for Roe hit an all-time high. 71% of Americans support Roe, including 76% of independents and 52% of Republicans. In every single state, the majority of people want Roe protected. This should be a warning to all Senators—if you vote against women by approving Trump’s judicial nominee, come November, we’ll vote against you.
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.”