Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined a rally on the grounds of the Capitol on Wednesday staged by MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, and other left-wing groups to oppose Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the United States Supreme Court and said the nominee does not believe constitutional rights apply to women.
“He believes that your constitutional rights to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness is not enumerated in the Constitution if you’re a woman,” Gillibrand said. “That you do not have access to reproductive care when you need it.” The phrase hails, in fact, from the Declaration of Independence.
“This Supreme Court nominee Judge Kavanaugh is going to destroy women’s reproductive freedom,” Gillibrand said, adding that Kavanaugh “intends” to overturn the Supreme Court’s abortion-legalizing Roe v. Wade decision.
Gillibrand also said Kavanaugh is a threat to free speech.
“He believes that your employer has more important free speech rights than you do and should be able to decide whether you have access to basic health care — basic birth control,” Gillibrand said.
“He will stand against women,” Gillibrand said. “He will stand against our basic civil rights, civil liberties, ability to make decisions about our bodies.”
“He believes that Congress — people in Washington — should be to make that decision for you,” Gillibrand said.
According to OpenSecrets, Gillibrand is one of the top recipients of funding from Planned Parenthood for the 2018 election cycle, receiving $15,618. Only Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) received more.
The donations come from Planned Parenthood’s political action committee and other individuals affiliated with the organization, according to OpenSecrets.
“Will you stand firm against Judge Kavanaugh?” Gillibrand said to the protesters. “Will you fight to the end against Judge Kavanaugh?”
Aside from Gillibrand, other Democratic lawmakers who spoke included Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
Representatives for the League of Conservation Voters, People for the American Way, and the Sierra Club also spoke at the rally, which drew a couple of hundred people.
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