Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin the confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh is a D.C. Circuit Judge who ruled against allowing a young immigrant woman to access abortion care and supports allowing employers to interfere with their employees’ access to birth control.
In response, Dr. Willie Parker, Board Chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health, issued the following statement:
“If Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court, the rights of my patients, not to mention all reproductive-aged women, would be impacted for generations. Patients are facing unacceptable restrictions to abortion care now and if Kavanaugh is confirmed, I worry that ultimately, none of us will be able to make decisions and control our own destinies.
Medical professionals have a moral obligation to make sure that all of our patients’ health care needs are met.
“There are already too many people in this country whose access to abortion care has been restricted because of where they live, where they get their insurance, or how much money they have or don’t have. Hundreds of laws across the country have been explicitly designed to punish people who need abortion care, and it is communities of color, immigrant communities, and people with low incomes that are disproportionately impacted. The reality is that people in some states have to navigate nearly insurmountable barriers just to access care, including medically unnecessary waiting periods and the need to travel farther distances to get to clinics, which increases the cost if they have to pay for travel and child care.
“Medical professionals have a moral obligation to make sure that all of our patients’ health care needs are met. That is why my colleagues and I demand that the Senate reject a nominee who will throw away the health care and fundamental rights of generations to come.”