New Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was finally sworn in on October 6, 2018. The process to confirm him was long and tumultuous. It was a crucial step. Replacing swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy with a strict constitutionalist could provide the number of votes needed to overturn Roe w. Wade in the future.
Kavanaugh was under an unprecedented amount of scrutiny because of serious allegations levied against him. Eventually, Kavanaugh’s nomination moved to the Senate floor by a vote of 11-10. It was then delayed a week longer for an FBI probe into the alleged sexual assault allegations.
The FBI investigation failed to substantiate the allegations. Thus, on October 6, by a 50-48 vote, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court. He was sworn in hours after the vote, giving the Court a constitutionalist majority.
The likelihood of overturning Roe v. Wade has now increased substantially. There are a number of cases (see article on page 4) positioned in district and circuit courts that could undermine the right to abortion created by Roe. One (or more) of those cases may make it to the Supreme Court. The subsequent ruling(s) could carve away at or overturn Roe v. Wade.
If and, hopefully, when this happens, the legality of abortion will revert to the states. Some states have laws making abortion illegal as soon as Roe is overturned. Unfortunately, Oregon has done the opposite, solidifying abortion rights in state law.
We hope that, someday, we will see abortion eliminated in America. For now, we work toward that day by pushing protective legislation, like late-term abortion restrictions, and by changing our political landscape through electing pro-life candidates to office.
