Trump’s Supreme Court pick called ‘reckless’ by Midwest Planned Parenthood official

"This vacancy cannot and should not be filled before Inauguration Day."

Screenshot from White House YouTube

The president of Planned Parenthood’s regional division said President Donald Trump’s act of nominating a U.S. Supreme Court justice is “reckless.”

Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, put out a statement opposing President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the U.S. Supreme Court. Many Democrats are concerned that if Barrett is confirmed to the open seat, Roe v. Wade may be overturned, despite President Trump saying otherwise.

“It is incredibly reckless for the Trump Administration to jam through this Supreme Court nominee while the country is in the middle of a pandemic and during an election, with voting already underway in some states,” Stoesz said in a press release

“We must look to Justice Ginsburg’s legacy as our anchor during this difficult fight. She fought tirelessly for gender equality, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ freedom, and health care for all. Now it’s up to us to continue Justice Ginsburg’s work and defend our democracy from President Trump’s dangerous attempt to grab more power. President Trump’s actions, and the blind loyalty of his allies in the U.S. Senate, are undermining our democratic process to serve their ideological views — views that are not held by most Americans,” she continued.

The vacancy “cannot and should not be filled before Inauguration Day,” the statement concluded. 

President Trump, however, has staunchly defended his constitutional right to nominate a justice in an election year. 

“Justice Ginsburg said very powerfully, very strongly, at some point, 10 years ago or so, she said a president and the Senate is elected for a period of time. But a president’s elected for 4 years, we’re not elected for 3 years, I’m not elected for 3 years,” Trump said during Tuesday’s presidential debate.

Planned Parenthood North Central States has promoted a petition to keep the Supreme Court seat empty until after the election.

Alexis McGill Johnson, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, has also weighed in on the topic of judicial nominations, claiming Trump has filled the courts “with judges hostile to reproductive freedom.”

Judah Torgerud

Judah Torgerud is a freelance journalist working with Alpha News to keep the people informed and bring the truth to light. Contact him at whqnu@nycunarjfza.pbz.