FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2017
[email protected]
(Washington, D.C.) — Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin consideration of an additional slew of Donald Trump’s nominees for federal judicial and executive appointments, including Amy Coney Barrett to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit and Joan Larsen to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue released the following statement on today’s hearing:
“There seems to be no love lost between Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell, but they share a singular goal that binds them together: shaping the courts in their image for generations to come. Their early nominees, from Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to Sixth Circuit Judge John Bush, show just how committed they are to appointing activist judges to the bench that will cement their agenda into law and place justice further from the grasp of so many people in this country.
“This morning, that pattern continues with the hearings of Amy Coney Barrett and Joan Larsen, who seem part and parcel of the same strategy and raise alarm bells specifically when it comes to the reproductive freedom of women in this country. Look no further than Barrett’s belief that life begins at conception, her comments that show that she believes Roe v. Wade was incorrectly decided, and her alignment with anti-choice organizations such as the Susan B. Anthony List and the Family Research Council.
“If senators believe that lifetime judicial appointments and individuals entrusted with protecting our civil liberties should uphold the fundamental constitutional rights—including reproductive freedom—of all Americans, they must reject the confirmation of these two additional nominees.”
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.”
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