Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin
Press Release

President Trump Nominates Supreme Court Justice

Judge Neil Gorsuch Hostile to Women’s Health

By - Jan 31st, 2017 07:47 pm
Neil Gorsuch. Photo from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals shows Judge Neil Gorsuch. Photo is in the Public Domain.

Neil Gorsuch. Photo from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals shows Judge Neil Gorsuch. Photo is in the Public Domain.

MADISON – On Tuesday, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, making  it clear that the president intends to weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that prohibited states from making abortion illegal throughout the country. President Trump has made promises to the political minority in this country that believes a woman, regardless of her personal or medical circumstances, should not have access to safe and legal abortion. No matter what.

Nicole Safar, Government Relations Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin issued the following statement:

“A Justice who does not understand what it is like to face an unintended pregnancy, or what it is like to lose an intended pregnancy, threatens the health and safety of women across this country. We should not accept a nominee who believes that the state can place medically unnecessary barriers in the path of women seeking access to safe, legal abortion services.

“At Planned Parenthood, we’ve seen firsthand what it means for our patients when politicians put safe abortion out of reach. Our physicians and clinicians have been there for women and families, counseling and caring for them. Our doctors held the hand of a woman with an undiagnosed heart defect that could not survive labor and delivery who had to travel to Chicago to save her life. They have cried with families who learn their babies are incredibly sick and cannot survive. For Planned Parenthood patients, this isn’t about politics. This is about a woman’s ability to care for her family.  We’ve seen women forced to travel hundreds of miles, cross state lines, or wait weeks to get an abortion, if they can at all. This often has a disproportionate impact on communities of color, who already face systemic barriers in accessing quality health care.

“Ending access to safe and legal abortion is not what the people, in Wisconsin or nationwide, want from a president. In fact, support for access to safe, legal abortion is at a record high – nearly 70 percent of Americans don’t want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, the highest percentage since the case was decided more than 40 years ago.

“As we’ve already seen, President Trump is clearly intent on proposing measures that he knows will be tested in the courts at all levels. Though there may not be an immediate impact on those seeking reproductive health care – we know it’s just a matter of time. And it isn’t just about abortion access. The Supreme Court is likely to make decisions that could impact a woman’s access to affordable birth control and other essential reproductive health care. The civil rights and safety of women, people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQ community and workers are also at risk with this nominee. Planned Parenthood is committed to pushing hard against the misogyny, racism and injustice we’ve seen already in the first 11 days of the Trump Administration.”

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin is the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. PPAWI engages in legislative and educational activity and works to elect candidates to office that support these goals.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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