Statement on nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to U.S. Supreme Court

“If confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh could very well be the decisive vote President Trump needs in the Supreme Court to make all too real his plans to undermine civil liberties and civil rights. And in light of President Trump’s promise to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision that recognized the right to an abortion, this nomination could jeopardize the right to an abortion millions of women and families have relied on for more than four decades. In his acceptance of the nomination, Kavanaugh referred to both his respect for and devotion to women. It’s incumbent upon Congress to test the bounds of his words, including his position on reproductive freedom. Here in Massachusetts, Beacon Hill must act swiftly to scrap a 19th-century ban on abortion.”