Word to the Wise.

July 27, 2018

August was vacation month for many.  Family visits and reunions everywhere!  We wrap our grandmotherly love around young ones, and wonder what the future holds for them.  We know that their rights are threatened by the so-called “pro-life” movement.  We know that the movement is restricting access to sexual and reproductive health care at every possible level, from local to state to the federal level.  Above it all is the Supreme Court which once made contraception and abortion legal.  But now?

The dark shadow of President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh hangs over us all.  Some would say he’s “a shoo-in.”  No way! We will show there’s no shoo-in for a nominee who has shown he lacks respect for women’s bodily autonomy.  

In 2007, although he claimed to be a “pro-life” justice, he ruled against two women with disabilities who wanted to keep their pregnancies.  They were forced to abort.   Kavanaugh denied them the right to be involved in their own medical decisions. He said such a right was not “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition.” He added that “that “neither liberty nor justice” were imperiled by denying the women the right.

More recently, he argued against the constitutional right of “Jane Doe” to access abortion care.  Jane Doe was an undocumented minor in government custody. According to Judge Patricia Millet, Jane Doe’s “capacity to make the decision about what is in her best interest by herself was approved by a Texas court consistent with state law.  She did everything that Texas law requires to obtain an abortion. 

Brett Kavanaugh claimed that the right to bodily autonomy is not based on the U.S. Constitution.  It is only based on a series of court decisions, including Roe v. Wade that were illegitimate and were not actually justified by the wording of the Constitution. We must fight his appointment at every step of the way in every way we can.

JOIN THE RISING TIDE OF OPPOSITION to Kavanaugh’s nomination.  Although GRR’S focus may be in reproductive rights, your friends and neighbors may respond more to other extreme conservative positions held by Brett Kavanaugh.  They can join in too.

For more information about these other issues, see:

https://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Kavanaugh-SCOTUS-First-Look.pdf.

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