For Immediate Release: December 7, 2018
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump saying he will nominate William Barr to be the next Attorney General:
“Coming on the heels of Jeff Sessions’ devastating tenure and overwhelming record of racism and misogyny, William Barr’s nomination sends a message to our nation’s most vulnerable people: the Trump administration will continue to use the Department of Justice to rollback our most fundamental rights and freedoms. Barr has stated his hostility to women’s constitutional right to abortion loudly and clearly, and if confirmed as Attorney General, he will have the power to enact his anti-choice beliefs and directly threaten the freedom and equality of women and families all across our nation.
“Throughout the Trump administration, we have seen the GOP’s willingness to empower anti-choice extremists in every facet of our government. The time has come for this to stop. We now look to the Senate to put a check on Trump’s agenda and reject this nominee to be our nation’s most powerful law enforcement official.”
During Senate confirmation hearings when he was first appointed Attorney General by George H.W. Bush, William Barr said Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and should be overturned. Barr also stated that while the right to privacy is guaranteed by the constitution, he does not think it “extends to abortion.”
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.”