FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2018
Contact: Dorothy He
(872) 600-9517 / dhe@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Trump announced his decision to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh is a conservative judge with a long track record and clerked under Justice Kennedy. Most notably, Kavanaugh served as Associate Counsel in the Kenneth Starr investigation of then-President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh was selected from a Supreme Court nominee shortlist compiled by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, notable conservative organizations.

NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow issued the following statement in response:

“NAPAWF condemns the President’s decision to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Throughout his career, Kavanaugh has had a record of setting back women’s rights through his stances on abortion care and contraception. For instance, he dissented in Garza v. Hargan, in which the court ruled in favor of a young undocumented teenage girl who sought an abortion. In Priests for Life v. HHS, he also stated that the ACA’s mandated contraceptive coverage were in violation of the rights of religious organizations.

“Asian American and Pacific Islander women and other women of color stand to be critically impacted by the next Supreme Court Justice, who will have opportunities to vote on decisions in immigrant rights, voting rights, healthcare access, and workers’ rights — issues that disproportionately impact the lives of communities of color.

“The next Supreme Court justice should be a person who upholds abortion rights, access to healthcare, civil rights, and voting rights. We have fought so long and hard for these victories for women, people of color, LGBT individuals, and workers, but all of our progress could be undone with Kavanaugh on the Court. In particular, for cases like Roe v. Wade, a repeal would place the health of millions of women at risk. We cannot let this happen.

“Women, people of color, immigrants, and other marginalized communities deserve to have their voices heard, loud and clear. Brett Kavanaugh is a dangerously unfit and extreme nominee who will hurt our communities and threaten our fundamental rights, and we strongly oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court. NAPAWF will continue advocating for AAPI women and girls, so that they can have full agency over their bodies, their lives, and their families.”

###

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for AAPI women and girls.