| For Immediate Release: September 20, 2018 Contact: [email protected] |
As the news about Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual assault continue to occupy the national conversation, Iowans are asking: We believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Do Senators Grassley and Ernst?
NARAL members stormed the Senate to deliver this message today and to confront Senator Grassley at his office.
In the past, Senators Grassley and Ernst have publicly condemned sexual assault and, in some cases, supported legislation to protects women and victims of sexual violence.
Senator Grassley:
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Worked closely with Amanda Nguyen on formulating the Survivors’ Bill of Rights and taking it through the legislative process. The law established new rights for survivors of sexual assault, expanding civil rights to 25 million rape survivors. Grassley said, “This is the way it should be, because regardless of political party, all members of Congress should be empowering survivors of sexual violence.”
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Publicly stated: “Sexual abuse, in any form, is an especially troubling crime because its victims suffer both physical and mental trauma that can last a lifetime.” Grassley was speaking out against Larry Nassar.
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Held a press conference with gymnasts who had been sexually abused by coaches or trainers, touting legislation to prevent sexual abuse in athletics and praising the women who came forward with their stories. He said, “We’re here to say thank you for your bravery.”
Senator Ernst:
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Was an original cosponsor of the Congressional Harassment Reform Act, requiring Senators found liable of sexual harassment to pay settlements themselves
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Spoke out against Roy Moore:
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“I have said that if the allegations against Roy Moore are true, then he should step aside. It’s critical that congress take a closer look at how it addresses sexual harassment and other allegations of discrimination, to make sure that those who have engaged in misconduct are held accountable.”
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Spoke out against Al Franken:
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“There is no place for sexual assault or harassment in our society. “The Senate Ethics Committee should look into these allegations.’’
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It’s shameful that Senators Grassley and Ernst are choosing to side with Brett Kavanaugh over Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. We’ve seen Kavanaugh lie time and time again, even potentially perjuring himself during his Senate confirmation hearings last week, and we know Kavanaugh can’t be trusted to make decisions about our most fundamental freedoms.
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Secret emails that Republicans tried to hide from the American people revealed rock solid evidence that Brett Kavanaugh misled senators and the American people on his views about abortion and Roe v Wade. The emails revealed that, despite the show he put on in front of the Senate, Kavanaugh questions if Roe is “settled law” and thinks the Supreme Court “can always overrule its precedent.”
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The “committee confidential” emails released during the hearings showed that Kavanaugh made a series of false statements, under oath, during hearings for his current position on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and again at hearings for our highest Court. Then and now, his answers simply weren’t true.
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In 2004, 2006 and during his confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh lied about whether he used materials stolen from Democratic senators to advance President Bush’s judicial nominees.
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Kavanaugh made false and misleading statements on a number of issues, including his views on abortion, because he knows he would never be confirmed if the American public — and Republicans in the Senate — finds out his true beliefs, his true ideological agenda, and his dark past as a far-right wing political operative.
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Brett Kavanaugh used his Senate hearings to push lies and junk science often pedaled by the anti-choice movement. He referred to birth control as “abortion-inducing drugs”, a phrase that is not only widely disproven by scientific evidence but is also widely used by the extreme anti-choice movement.
Iowans are rising up, standing in solidarity with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and against dishonest Brett Kavanaugh, and they’re paying attention to whether or not Senators Grassley and Ernst will do the same.
Iowans outside of Sen. Grassley’s office urging him to vote ‘no’ on Brett Kavanaugh.
NARAL members and Iowans showed up to Senator Grassley’s town hall to let them know that they are opposed to Kavanaugh and the threat he poses to Roe v. Wade.