The executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund said Thursday her organization is calling for a special “personal liberty standard” for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to be judged by when he or she comes before the Senate for confirmation.
“Clearly, saying ‘precedent’ alone can no longer be an acceptable answer or standard by which senators can accurately judge,” said Dawn Laguens at a press conference.
Laguens, a lesbian who is raising triplet daughters with her partner, has become the public face of Planned Parenthood since the departure of the organization’s former president Cecile Richards.
Laguens continued:
That’s why today, Planned Parenthood and our colleagues at this press conference, are calling for a higher standard. We are calling for a “personal liberty standard,” that the Senate must only confirm a justice who affirmatively declares that they believe the Constitution protects individual liberty and the right of all people to make personal decisions about their bodies and their personal relationships, including the right to use contraception, the right to have an abortion, and the freedom to marry who you choose.
Senators need to hold the SCOTUS nominee to a higher standard, where the nominee must declare that "the Constitution protects individual liberty and the right of all people to make personal decisions about their bodies and their personal relationships." https://t.co/0C7q9CmhyT
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) July 6, 2018
In a press statement published at the Planned Parenthood website, the groups say their announcement of the special standard “comes after President Trump promised to appoint only biased justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade and strike down the Affordable Care Act.”
“By demanding that all nominees affirm the personal liberty standard, the next Supreme Court justice will ensure that the right to safe, legal abortion is protected,” the liberal groups state.
Brian Fallon, executive director of progressive group Demand Justice, also stated, “Neil Gorsuch said that Roe was precedent and just as recently as last month sided with [the] majority in turning over a 40-year-old precedent in [the] Janus case.”
Planned Parenthood said it will be launching a campaign in all 50 states “demanding that any nominee be held to this higher standard or not be confirmed at all.”
Planned Parenthood Action Fund joined NARAL, the National Women’s Law Center, Demand Justice, and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum at the press conference.
While on the campaign trail in 2016, Trump made four promises to the pro-life base of his party, the first of which was nominating pro-life justices to the US Supreme Court.
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