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Blumenthal: The fight of our lives.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the recent retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is not a drill. And if Americans who believe in the reproductive rights —the human rights — of women don’t take action, the Trump administration will likely appoint a new justice who will roll back Roe v. Wade.
Blumenthal brought that urgent message to the New Haven headquarters of the Planned Parenthood of Southern New England Monday in an effort to galvanize people to contact three Republican senators he believes will help hold the line on refusing to vet a Trump nominee to replace Justice Kennedy justice before the November election cycle is complete.
President Donald Trump has pledged on the campaign trail and reiterated in recent days that he would appoint a justice who would overturn the 35-year-old landmark court ruling that effectively legalized abortion. Pro-choice advocates are hoping to thwart any such attempt.
Blumenthal noted that the next justice likely will serve throughout the rest of the lives of all the adults in the room and possibly the lives of their children.
“The president of the United States is not going to ask questions about Roe v. Wade,” Blumenthal said Monday. “He doesn’t need to ask those questions. Every one of the nominees on the list has been screened to meet the litmus test that the president himself has articulated again and again, by saying he will appoint only someone who will automatically overturn Roe v. Wade.”
Blumenthal invoked the name of Geraldine “Gerri” Santoro, who died in a Connecticut motel after bled to death from a botched illegal abortion in 1964. Crime scene photos of her dead body became a symbol for the pro-choice movement.
The senator also said that a Trump-appointed justice will also help overturn the health care protections provided by the Affordable Care Act, particularly for the millions of Americans who suffer from a pre-existing health condition that might otherwise prevent them from obtaining health insurance.
“We need now a call to action to make sure Americans understand what’s at risk — basic human rights, reproductive rights — so that we avoid going back to the dark times when abortion was criminalized,” he said. He called on people to contact Republican U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and John McCain of Arizona. All three broke with their party over an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Blumenthal predicted they might break ranks again on vetting a justice who will repeal Roe v. Wade.
Yolen: This is a five-alarm fire.
Susan Lloyd Yolen, vice president of public policy and advocacy for Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, said that a conservative court overturning might have a less direct impact in Connecticut, where a woman’s right to choose abortion is protected. But such protections don’t exist in neighboring states like Rhode Island. Rolling back Roe v. Wade could mean more women traveling to Connecticut seeking abortion services.
A Supreme Court rollback would put such services out of reach low income and women of color, particularly in the Midwest and the South where access to abortion is difficult because of restrictive laws and the lack of health facilities.
“Just affording it is a challenge for folks who have no insurance coverage,” Yolen said. She also noted that most abortion patients are in their 20s and 30s, not teenagers, and most abortions are done within the first trimester. The procedure can cost as much as $600 without insurance.
“There’s already a lot of travel to other states seeking the procedure,” she said of the states that have restrictions designed to deter women from choosing abortion. She said should the protections be rolled back further, people might have to return to the days when there was an underground referral process, where clergy and other supporters helped raise funds to help women get to states where an abortion could be had safely. She said a lot of health facilities and doctors that provide abortion services now weren’t practicing prior to the decision in Roe v. Wade.
“It’s more than I want to think about now,” Yolen, who has been with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England for 30 years. “That’s why we have to fight this now. It has to be fended off.”
"Blumenthal invoked the name of Geraldine "Gerri" Santoro, who died in a Connecticut motel after bled to death from a botched illegal abortion in 1964. Crime scene photos of her dead body became a symbol for the pro-choice movement."
How about the 60 MILLION childern that Roe has killed?