Kirsten Gillibrand Vows To Only Nominate Judges Who Uphold Roe v. Wade

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced on Tuesday that if she is elected president, she will only nominate judges who vow to back Roe v. Wade , the historic 1973 ruling that legalized abortion .

A womans right to make her own personal health decisions is nonnegotiable, Gillibrand wrote in a Medium post . So, today Im announcing that as president, I will only nominate judges including Supreme Court justices who will commit to upholding Roe v. Wade as settled law and protect womens reproductive rights.

Gillibrand, whos been an ardent supporter of womens rights since she first became a senator in 2009, pointed to the onslaught of anti-abortion policies implemented in just the last few years.

The U.S. has enacted more than 450 state laws restricting access to abortion across the country since 2010. In 2019 alone, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Mississippi have passed laws banning abortion after six weeks, a point at which many women dont even realize theyre pregnant. The Alabama House passed legislation last week banning nearly all abortions, with no exceptions for rape and incest. And Texas lawmakers are considering the death penalty for any woman who undergoes an abortion procedure.

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Gillibrand also called out President Donald Trump , writing that women deserve a president who will trust them to make the right decisions about their own bodies.

Women deserve a president who understands the real stakes of this fight for the judiciary, she wrote.

Since taking office, Trump has rolled back access to safe and affordable reproductive health care around the world . He also recently appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has questioned whether Roe v. Wade is settled law. Vice President Mike Pence , a loud anti-abortion advocate, has suggested that legal abortions in the U.S. could end in our time.

President Trump is appointing circuit court judges at a record pace, not to mention making two Supreme Court appointments. The impact of those appointments on Americans and on reproductive rights in this country will extend far beyond the end of his presidency, Gillibrand added. We have to fight back.

Head over to Medium to read Gillibrands full essay.