Top abortion rights groups came out quickly against announced opposition President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Abortion rights groups have been targeting members of Trump’s short list of nominees, noting that Trump is seeking to appoint judges that will overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
“We already know how Brett Kavanaugh would rule on Roe v. Wade, because the president told us so,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a statement released seconds after Trump’s announcement on Monday.
Planned Parenthood seized on Kavanaugh’s decision to block a lower court’s order that required the Trump administration to allow an undocumented woman entering the U.S. to get an abortion.
[WATCH: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh answers Chuck Schumer on Roe v. Wade at his 2006 confirmation hearing]
The group NARAL Pro Choice also pointed to the abortion ruling.
“Kavanaugh recently argued that a young woman, despite meeting all of Texas’ burdensome requirements to get an abortion, should not be permitted to access essential healthcare,” NARAL President Ilyse Hogue said in a statement. “He has also been a long-time conservative activist working to elect anti-choice politicians.”
Kavanaugh currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and was White House counsel under former President George W. Bush.
The abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights added that Trump is making good on his promise to appoint judges that would overturn Roe.
As Trump announced his nominee, abortion rights groups gathered outside the Supreme Court to protest, yelling, “Protect Roe!” and holding signs that read “Stop Trump’s Supreme Court Takeover.” At times, they were shouted down by a smaller number of abortion opponents who yelled, “Abortion is murder!” or “Overturn Roe!” Students for Life held signs that read, “I Am the Pro-Life generation.”
[Opinion: Pro-lifers know Brett Kavanaugh stands with them, because he’s done it before]
The speakers at the rally, which included Planned Parenthood, urged the roughly 300 attendees to vote in November to support candidates that would preserve abortion rights. Planned Parenthood kicked off a series of events this week in which they will hold rallies in every state.
“We know that millions of people will join us to protect these fundamental rights,” said Dana Singiser, vice president of public policy and government affairs for Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
- Kimberly Leonard contributed.
