President Donald Trump greets Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
After Dissent in Louisiana Abortion Case, Warnings That 'Kavanaugh Has Declared War on Roe v. Wade'
While relieved that the Supreme Court temporarily blocked state's anti-abortion law, NARAL says "it's a sobering reminder that our rights hang by a dangerously thin thread."
While reproductive rights advocates expressed relief on Thursday after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked an extreme Louisiana anti-abortion law that could have left the state with just one doctor authorized to perform the procedure, legal experts and women's groups warned that Justice Brett Kavanaugh's dissent in the case confirmed fears that he is dead-set on overturning Roe v. Wade.
"Kavanaugh has declared war on Roe v. Wade," wrote Slate legal affairs journalist Mark Joseph Stern after the high court's 5-4 decision, in which Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's liberal justices in voting to block the law, while Kavanaugh sided with Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito in voting for the law's implementation.
In a four-page dissent (pdf) that Stern described as "absurd" and "astoundingly dishonest," Kavanaugh brushed aside a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that declared a similar Texas law unconstitutional, and highlighted Louisiana's promise that it would not "move aggressively" to enforce the harsh abortion restrictions as a reason they should be allowed to move forward.
"The most astounding aspect of Kavanaugh's dissent is its credulous belief in Louisiana's ostensible benevolence toward abortion clinics," Stern wrote. The entire state of Louisiana has just three abortion clinics.
Rights groups that warned throughout Kavanaugh's confirmation process last year that he would work to overturn Roe viewed the Trump-appointed judge's dissent on Thursday as further vindication of their worst fears.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), in particular, was called out for her decisive vote to confirm Kavanaugh, and progressives vowed to ramp up their efforts to oust her in 2020.
Following the Supreme Court's decision to temporarily block Louisiana's anti-abortion law, NARAL Pro-Choice America applauded the hold as good news but warned that reproductive rights are still at risk nationwide.
"While this ruling falls on the right side of history," the group concluded, "it's a sobering reminder that our rights hang by a dangerously thin thread."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
While reproductive rights advocates expressed relief on Thursday after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked an extreme Louisiana anti-abortion law that could have left the state with just one doctor authorized to perform the procedure, legal experts and women's groups warned that Justice Brett Kavanaugh's dissent in the case confirmed fears that he is dead-set on overturning Roe v. Wade.
"Kavanaugh has declared war on Roe v. Wade," wrote Slate legal affairs journalist Mark Joseph Stern after the high court's 5-4 decision, in which Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's liberal justices in voting to block the law, while Kavanaugh sided with Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito in voting for the law's implementation.
In a four-page dissent (pdf) that Stern described as "absurd" and "astoundingly dishonest," Kavanaugh brushed aside a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that declared a similar Texas law unconstitutional, and highlighted Louisiana's promise that it would not "move aggressively" to enforce the harsh abortion restrictions as a reason they should be allowed to move forward.
"The most astounding aspect of Kavanaugh's dissent is its credulous belief in Louisiana's ostensible benevolence toward abortion clinics," Stern wrote. The entire state of Louisiana has just three abortion clinics.
Rights groups that warned throughout Kavanaugh's confirmation process last year that he would work to overturn Roe viewed the Trump-appointed judge's dissent on Thursday as further vindication of their worst fears.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), in particular, was called out for her decisive vote to confirm Kavanaugh, and progressives vowed to ramp up their efforts to oust her in 2020.
Following the Supreme Court's decision to temporarily block Louisiana's anti-abortion law, NARAL Pro-Choice America applauded the hold as good news but warned that reproductive rights are still at risk nationwide.
"While this ruling falls on the right side of history," the group concluded, "it's a sobering reminder that our rights hang by a dangerously thin thread."
While reproductive rights advocates expressed relief on Thursday after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked an extreme Louisiana anti-abortion law that could have left the state with just one doctor authorized to perform the procedure, legal experts and women's groups warned that Justice Brett Kavanaugh's dissent in the case confirmed fears that he is dead-set on overturning Roe v. Wade.
"Kavanaugh has declared war on Roe v. Wade," wrote Slate legal affairs journalist Mark Joseph Stern after the high court's 5-4 decision, in which Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's liberal justices in voting to block the law, while Kavanaugh sided with Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito in voting for the law's implementation.
In a four-page dissent (pdf) that Stern described as "absurd" and "astoundingly dishonest," Kavanaugh brushed aside a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that declared a similar Texas law unconstitutional, and highlighted Louisiana's promise that it would not "move aggressively" to enforce the harsh abortion restrictions as a reason they should be allowed to move forward.
"The most astounding aspect of Kavanaugh's dissent is its credulous belief in Louisiana's ostensible benevolence toward abortion clinics," Stern wrote. The entire state of Louisiana has just three abortion clinics.
Rights groups that warned throughout Kavanaugh's confirmation process last year that he would work to overturn Roe viewed the Trump-appointed judge's dissent on Thursday as further vindication of their worst fears.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), in particular, was called out for her decisive vote to confirm Kavanaugh, and progressives vowed to ramp up their efforts to oust her in 2020.
Following the Supreme Court's decision to temporarily block Louisiana's anti-abortion law, NARAL Pro-Choice America applauded the hold as good news but warned that reproductive rights are still at risk nationwide.
"While this ruling falls on the right side of history," the group concluded, "it's a sobering reminder that our rights hang by a dangerously thin thread."