Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, is a threat to Maine women’s health. Senator Collins has an obligation to keep the promise she made to her constituents not to approve a judge who would overturn Roe v. Wade by voting no on his confirmation. If Kavanaugh is successfully appointed, it’s clear he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, disregarding precedent and attacking a woman’s right to choose.

Senator Collins explicitly said she would not approve a judge that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

“A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me, because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don’t want to see a judge have.” – Senator Collins, July 1st

There’s no question that Kavanaugh would be hostile to women’s reproductive rights: Trump said that overturning Roe v. Wade would be a litmus test for his nominee.

“It is. It is.” – Trump, on whether overturning Roe v. Wade would be a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees, 2015

“I will be appointing pro-life judges.” – Trump, 2016

Mike Pence was closely involved in Trump’s judicial nominations after promising that a Trump-appointed justice would overturn Roe v. Wade.

“If we appoint strict constructionists to the Supreme Court as Donald Trump intends to do, I believe we’ll see Roe v. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history.” – Pence, 2016

Kavanaugh has the support of anti-choice groups and is an active member of the Federalist Society, whose president is a board member of an anti- choice group.

Roll Call: “Kavanaugh, a conservative judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, has the support of anti-abortion groups and could play a key role in attempts to limit or overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade case, as a number of abortion cases make their way through the lower courts. […] Kavanaugh is an active member of The Federalist Society, a group that had been helping Trump with his list of candidates. The group’s executive vice president, Leonard Leo, is also a board member of the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America.”

Kavanaugh’s anti-choice agenda is central to his legal career. He voted to block a teenage immigrant in HHS custody from obtaining an abortion without delay.

Business Insider: “Kavanaugh previously voted against giving an undocumented teen access to abortion in a key case, which may provide insight into his opinions of abortion rights in the US.”

Kavanaugh also dissented from a ruling to uphold the ACA’s birth control benefit.

CNN: “In a separate case associated with the Affordable Care Act, Kavanaugh dissented when the DC Circuit declined a full court review of a religious group's objection to the process for employers seeking to opt out of the contraceptive mandate.”

A majority of Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade.  

Kaiser Family Foundation: “As President Trump prepares to make a new Supreme Court nomination, new polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that two-thirds (67%) of the public do not want the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that established women’s constitutional right to abortion.”

Susan Collins must keep her promise to her constituents.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation is more than a partisan battle or another media stunt for Trump: it is a calculated attack on women. Senator Collins has an obligation to protect her constituents from an anti-choice agenda that will affect generations of women.